


House Arrest

by Narquestaur



Category: Catalyst: A Rogue One Novel - James Luceno, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016), Star Wars - All Media Types
Genre: Angst, Angst and Fluff and Smut, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Blackmail, Blood and Violence, Canon Compliant, Canon-Typical Violence, Character Death, Complete, Drinking, Explicit Language, F/M, Gratuitous Smut, Light Choking, Light Sadism, My First Smut, Novel, Oral Sex, Orson Krennic is not a nice guy, Porn With Plot, Roughness, Self-Indulgent, Semi-Public Sex, Smoking, Tags Are Hard, Villain gets the girl, narcissistic personality traits
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-09
Updated: 2020-06-21
Packaged: 2021-03-03 22:53:35
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 13
Words: 146,126
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24623506
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Narquestaur/pseuds/Narquestaur
Summary: Director Krennic comes across a researcher who has a few secrets here and there.  One of them he discovers by fortunate accident is she has been defrauding the Empire of large sums of credits for her own project.  He deals with the situation in his own unique way, like he deals with everything else.  Maybe that isn't so bad.
Relationships: Orson Krennic/Original Female Character(s)
Comments: 13
Kudos: 29





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I have been writing this on and off for five months, wow. It is complete so If you do decide to get into it don't worry you wont be hanging too long for chapters. This was supposed to be a short little Porn WITHOUT plot story (And I have never really written smut before, so yeah there is that. Might get a little repetitive in spots but hey maybe I'm not that game.) Which, as you can see... 140,000+ Words later "got away from me". (sorry in advance that my writing style involves multiple narratives. I've tried to keep it as clear as possible)
> 
> It is self indulgent, I had a blast writing it. So if someone else enjoys it. Yay. Now given the premise there is some 'light' Stockholm syndrome in this story lets face it if you are here reading this then you honestly would suffer from it too if you were locked in anywhere that Orson Krennic is. (Sorry in advance to Tarkin's fans here - I was pretty 'mean' to him, taking strongly from the fact Krennic and Tarkin pretty much hate each other in canon)
> 
> This story is Canon compliant for like 90% of things (I haven't read the Thrawn novels yet so if I'm missing something from there that's why.) . There are obviously spoilers for Catalyst and Rogue One in it. So if you haven't read Catalyst - Jog off and read it quick. It will take you less time than it takes to read this.😂 There is a crazy amount of character insight and accurate details in here. I will note where information "liberties" were taken. Written so as it takes place in the "background" of canon stories. I am Australian and I spell things as such.

**House** **Arrest** **  
** **  
** **2 BBY** **-** **Approximately**  
  


_“Get this open now you idiots!” “Can’t the hatch is busted!” “Well shut it down!” “Get me out of here right now!” “Get back!” “Don't you leave me in here!”_

  
She opened her eyes in a cold sweat gasping as the brightly lit room chased the lucid nightmare away. Her head was pounding. She felt almost sick. Of course when she had opened her eyes she could barely make out anything. That wasn't the most pressing concern. She was in a bed. _Wait._ A bed? Who's bed? And where were her clothes? Her purse? Oh stars she nearly shrieked when she sat up in such a hurry she clanged her head on some fixture above her head. Realising it was some sort of light of some kind by touching it. "Ow!" It was when she heard the quiet scoff of amusement that quickly brought it to her attention she wasn't alone. That someone was sitting too far away for her to immediately recognise. "Wh.. Where am I? Where are my clothes and more to the point why aren't I wearing them?"  
  


"That is an awful lot of questions to start with. I am sure your memory is no doubt chequered for the moment." That voice. She thought she had heard it somewhere before she was sure of it. She didn't really have any friends and she couldn't think of anyone she worked with that sounded like that. No superior she was frequently familiar with sounded like that.   
  


"Okay. In that order then. Where am I?"  
  


"The best way to deal with what you are suffering from is to make your brain work for it. Where do you remember being?"  
  


 _Suffering from?_ She did not need some cryptic memory exercise right now. This was not the kind of cryptic puzzle she enjoyed. "I was some celebration or other for a stage of the battle station at Scarif being completed, my superior said in not so many words that if I wanted my sectors funding to continue then it would be a wise idea that I should try and help ensure that our company got more contracted work on the battle station over any other company representatives in attendance. That I should.." She groaned at how uncomfortable she had felt the whole time "Wear that stupid dress and socialise. Maker what a stupid suggestion. Damn Superior should have just gone himself!"   
  


There it was again. That amused scoff. He somehow doubted her superior would have looked as good in a dress and heels as she had. "So you know where you were and why you were there, do you remember leaving?" She tapped her chin trying to think. Recalling details about a room full of people and officers and guests and guards around was a terribly difficult thing for her to do. If it wasn't right in front of her nose she quite literally didn't take it in.  
  


"I don't remember talking to anyone very much even though that's what I was meant to be doing. Someone who worked on our section offered me a drink? I don't really drink a lot, maybe that's what is wrong..." She thought about that. Now if she had been drunk that would have been one thing. She knew what that felt like and would also remember getting that way. None of that explained how she got into someone's room. "Wait a minute... Did you do this to me?!" Her brain had caught up with her situation enough to realise she had probably been drugged. By means of her drink she didn't ask for being spiked. She recoiled backwards wondering what she would do against whoever has done this to her.  
  


"Yes and no. Yes I had you brought here once it was established you weren't suffering anything life threatening as a result of what you had consumed and yes I got you out of those clothes. Since you had ended up on the floor, there was no way known those clothes were following you into this bed." Her clothes she thought about what had been with them she patted her chest instinctively. What was tucked on the inside of her dress. They were gone. "Oh yes." The voice said again realising what she was looking for in such a panic "These are so delightfully primitive. Almost couldn't believe what I was looking at. You know, there are so many corrections available for poor eyesight I can't possibly imagine why someone with a vision problem clearly as bad as yours would choose to fall into such a primitive method for dealing with it and then choose to hide it in order to be more appealing? Is that it?"  
  


She huffed, reaching out hoping whoever it was would give them to her "It is not so simple..." She could make out that they held their hand out and offered her spectacles to her. She was relieved to feel they were not broken, having something primitive was hard to replace in this age. She put them on, suddenly everything came back into clarity. "...as that. Oh my.." She was so stunned she darted back even more hitting her head for the second time. "Ow! Maker! Y..y.. You're D..Director Krennic.." Her mouth hung open a few moments before she could feel herself starting to nearly hyperventilate out of either fear or embarrassment, maybe a mix of the two. She'd never even spoken to such a high ranking officer let alone been just in her undergarments in front of one after they'd just confessed to getting her that way.   
  


"I am. Now calm yourself down before you break something, as to if that will be your head or my fixtures remains to be seen." The tone he used was calm enough, but when she was able to take in the situation the fact he was sitting there in full uniform and looking almost through her with those steely blue eyes it was very authoritarian. Maybe even attractive. _Stop that._ She cursed herself inwardly for her mind even wandering there just the slightest bit. She clenched the sheets in her fingers. Trying to pull herself together with a slow deep breath.   
  


"Okay. So. You said yes and no to how I got here?"  
  


"Oh yes. Clearly your shortsightedness was clearly the amusement of some other contractors and had not gone unnoticed by a group of miscreants in attendance. Not any working under my command of course. From what I overheard at least one of them was familiar with the hmm what were the words he used, ah yes. The mad tinkerer with bad eyesight. It was one of them who got you the drink and drugged it." She couldn't believe it. She knew the whole thing was a terrible idea but to think amongst their own side there were those willing to do this to their own, because clearly she wasn't the only one there from her company and they would have talked to others. Apparently about her.  
  


"I didn't realise it. I just didn't want to be rude. I didn't even think.." She felt his hand on her leg through the sheets. She cut off her rambling but tried not to flinch too obviously. Telling herself it was purely a comforting gesture. 

  
"There's nothing you need to be sorry for. Such behaviour is absolutely deplorable. Really not the kind of thing a young..?" He left the question of her profession hanging so she sheepishly raised her eyebrows and filled in   
  


"...Let's say researcher? I work for Rendili StarDrive.”  
  


"Right. Researcher. Should need to concern herself with when made to attend something official. None the less no one else seemed to overhear their plans. I apologise that I was interrupted before I could prevent you from drinking the substance which of course led to you ending up on the floor. Not to worry." Oh she worried alright. _How embarrassing._ She was sure that some very untruthful version of what had happened had already worked its way back to her superior.   
  


"So. I know it sounds awful to ask but since what you are telling me is that I was drugged, you knew about it and I ended up here. In what I can only assume by the looks of this room is an officer's quarters, yours that is; did you.." He cut her off to save her from the embarrassment of her curiosity   
  


"Do anything to you? Nothing as nefarious as what those miscreants had planned for you." He cruelly decided to leave her with that open ended statement. He had indeed had a difficult time of simply removing her dress and leaving her in her undergarments. She was young and quite pretty but somehow didn't realise that was probably the reason her superior firmly suggested she be the one to dress up and socialise.  
  


Krennic stood "I have duties to attend to and work to sign off on." He pulled up his sleeve and looked at his chronometer "I imagine you will feel quite unwell for a few more hours yet. You can't go wandering around these halls wherever you please it is an active construction project in many places. You are also not contracted or cleared to be doing anything on this station as of last night when Rendili StarDrive personnel were escorted off the station along with the others with expired contracts. I will see what I can do about getting you back to where you belong when I am finished for the day." She tilted her head   
  


"Really? You're just going to leave me here unattended?"  
  


He smirked "Would you prefer me to shoot you in the foot to get you to stay put?" He looked at her sternly tapping his blaster in its holster like he could almost be serious. She gulped and shook her head. His features relaxed, clearly he had been messing with her at that moment. "Wouldn't anyway. Not when I can just lock you in. Rest up, recover and don't touch anything." She watched as he turned to leave that white cape swirling around after him. She did quickly try to sit up with intentions of protesting about that. But he was right she was most definitely still unwell. And ended up stumbling backward and falling back onto the bed just in time to hear the door open and close along with the digital beep of the lock. Was she a prisoner? It kind of felt that way.

* * *

When Krennic said it would take her hours to not feel unwell he was not making a joke. Several times she tried to get up. Several times more she tried to walk around. All early attempts failed. She knew she had nodded off with an exhaustive haze that refused to leave her several times. She just wasn't sure for how long each time. She knew from the last one it had been the longest out of all of them. She couldn't hear anything when she woke up again. She still felt a bit sickly but nowhere near as fitful as the whole day had felt. When she did try to get up again standing and walking was a lot easier several hours must have passed. She wasn't sure how late it was. If she was still locked in these quarters she might as well find something to occupy herself. Over all as nice as it was there was not a lot of personal touch to it. Perhaps this wasn't somewhere permanent. Quite possible really. From what she knew of her brief visits to this station it was still being constructed in many sections, she usually only came there to consult on work her company was doing and had never spent a night on it. Until now anyway.  
  


One thing that was most definitely 'lived in' was the drawing table in what she guessed was a private office, it contained a lot more of a personal touch with shelves full of various technical manuals that she would almost kill to get a look at. When she went in she glanced at the work that was on the desk. Was it his? Did he do all of these schematics? While she knew vague details about Director Krennic she didn't know much about his actual skill set. She reached out to shift one of the large sheets. 

  
"I thought I said not to touch anything?" She yelped with fright turning quickly to see Krennic leaning against the open doorway. Glass of some no doubt alcoholic beverage on his hand.

  
"I wasn't. No wait that came out wrong. What I mean is I haven't and I was only going to look. Briefly. With my hand. Yes that's it." Krennic thought he'd happily like to look at her, with his hands but not so briefly. She sighed cursing her nervousness that made it appear she was more guilty than she actually was of touching things. Clearly he had quietly gotten into his quarters and managed to pour himself a drink and sneak up on her while she was overly absorbed.  
  


"Are you always this uncertain about what you are thinking or doing? For someone who is supposed to be in... research it's not a quality trait. You're so meek and jumpy. Who knows what disaster you could cause if someone coughed too loudly behind you." He raised his eyebrows taking a sip from his drink. Daring her to respond. 

  
"I.. I am not uncertain. It just would have been wrong if I'd tried to lie and say no I wasn't touching something. When in fact I had not, up until that exact moment you happened to see what I was thinking about doing but had not done yet. I..I don't think I am jumpy..." He looked her over, not exactly convinced by her claim.

  
"What is it you do again?" He lifted a finger off the glass at her in a lazy pointing gesture. "And don't say research because I wouldn't trust you to alphabetise a storage room." He pushed off the door frame and strolled over to his work shooing her away from it. She took a couple of steps back from the workstation. 

  
"Well you heard that silly name I get called. The 'mad tinkerer' as they put it. I take great pleasure in pulling things apart, seeing how they work and then making it work better. I've messed around with all sorts of things. Ship and weapon designs, security systems, communications, droids. You name it there probably isn't something I've picked apart or tried to replicate. What I do just gets shoved under the generic term of research." She clasped her hands nervously in front of her. Forgetting that as she tried to seem annoyed that she was still only wearing her under garments. Thusly giving her more of a cute when mad disposition. He smirked, it now seemed like the perfect opportunity to drop a little bomb of information on her.  


"Tell me, your superiors; the ones who sent you to garner favour for funding and contract work on this project... Do they know that you are diverting the credits for your personal projects rather than producing anything of value to the cause?" He drained his glass swiftly. Keen to see what she would make of that.

  
"Well of course they don.." _Dammit._ _How did he know that? Wait. Did he? Or did he just guess and catch you out?_ While he really wanted to smirk again at her malfunction when he let her in on what he knew about her he kept his features stoic for effect. 

  
"You know you talk in your sleep. I think you were particularly loquacious owing to the drug toxicity. Perhaps you feel guilty or troubled by your actions? Rendili StarDrive receives a lot of credits from the Empire for their work." No wonder he wanted to lock her in when he left. Her sleep talking had prompted him to take her identity card and do a little digging of his own. 

  
"I.. I am sure that is not what I would have meant to say. I mean, isn't that technically treason?" She fidgeted nervously, shuffling her bare feet on the spot. 

  
"Not technically. Is. Is treason." He hissed and grabbed her upper arm not too firmly but enough to get her to move away from his office out to the living area. He gave her a downward tug near one of the couches "Sit down. I insist."

  
She sat with a bit of defeat in her action. She watched him warily. What was she going to do? He could have told anyone what he heard her say or what he found. Could someone be coming to take her in for official questioning right now? What if... her thoughts were shaken out by a clunk on the table in front of her, sub consciously not realising the panicked look on her features. She heard a clatter of ice against the glass in front of her face. "Drink that and stop whatever those panicked thoughts are you have going on."

  
She wasn't sure she felt like drinking after what happened the night before, especially something so strong looking. It was clearly the same as what he had finished in his office. She picked it up, inhaling the scent of it. He left her with it a moment, disappearing to his room momentarily before returning without just about everything that made him look officious and in her opinion intimidating. The cape and officers tunic were gone along with that obviously went his belt and blaster holder. Those overly polished boots were gone as well. He could have been anybody in a white shirt and black trousers she had a vague idea about how old he was though nothing concrete. Were she potentially not looking at a rather unpleasant stint in prison then the idea of being here and having a drink with a man who qualified as distinguished and good looking in her books may not have been quite so terrifying. She reminded herself however she never would have got past her own insecurities to get to this point anyway, with any officer much less the one across from her. She must have been staring while she thought about that.

  
"There's nothing in it if that's what you're thinking." He sat in a chair opposite after refilling his own glass. She inhaled quickly realising he had seen her staring.

  
"Uh. Oh no. No, no I wasn't thinking that. This is Corellian. Strong stuff." She nervously diverted from any indication of what may have actually been in her head. She figured she might as well drink it. She was probably not far from being marched off to a cell somewhere or at least that's what his tone had made her think was about to happen.

  
"This project is stressful. If you had Governor fucking Tarkin breathing down your neck every minute of the day over something he doesn't have an ounce of passion invested in then you too would want something strong to deal with it day after day. This is twenty years of my life."

  
She shrugged "I guess I might know a little of what that's like. I ...I mean except for two decades worth of effort. But of others not appreciating." She mumbled into the glass as she took a sip of the brandy like alcohol. It was smooth but still burned on its way down. For her to work two decades on anything she would have been doing it since before she could walk his assessment told him that before he even started looking into her history.  
  


"Would you now. Is this what this misappropriation of credits business is all about? Some project you have invested half your life into? That you have slaved and suffered for?" She picked her words carefully, his tone sounded like he could still be setting her up. Daring her to say the wrong thing again. She realised she might have made it sound like she was trying to make light of his trials.

  
"Forgive me Director Krennic that's not what I meant. What I do is not the same as this. But no one wants to pay to make a better womprat trap... No one cares. Sure I can do it. Sure I can make something stronger, more powerful or more efficient. But it's the kind of thing where someone shows up to your lab one day and just takes it. You don't get credit for it. What I was diverting the credits for was something totally of my own inception. I wanted to see through to completion and not lose it at the end without so much as a little credit." He tapped his glass against the edge of the chair idly thinking about what she said. She tried to silence that thought in the back of her head that she didn't mind how he looked deep in thought at all. It was easier to think that when he wasn't glaring at her with those serious blue eyes. She had been buried in work and alone for years, managing to actively avoid having to have a conversation outside of a work related topic with a man for that whole time.

  
"Noble intentions doesn't make what you have been doing right. It is still a form of treason. But I am undecided as to how I will deal with that. Not a good image if I have to tell someone I caught a private corporation researcher embezzling when I heard her talking in her sleep while she slept off a night of drinking in my quarters now is it?" Of course she probably had no idea that he had actually been long formulating an idea of what to do with her from the time he got to his office with her credentials that morning. 

  
"I guess not. But you can't prove what you heard me say any more than you can prove I admitted to it when you tripped me up on it."  
  


He smirked "There's a stranger in my quarters, you really think I'd leave you unattended in here without some way to keep an eye on you both audio and visually? So I'm sure your confession has been captured as well as your sleep talking, will match up nicely with your actual finances. How to utilise it is my dilemma. Not to say I won't." She fidgeted with her fingernails on the side of her glass as it rested on her knees. Not noticing he was once again focusing his icy gaze on her. "I must say, you seemed very comfortable wandering around here in your undergarments, just as you are talking to me the same way right now. The way you reacted this morning you seemed much more intimidated by my presence." She drank more from her glass, not able to down them as quickly as he. She held up her finger in a protest mid sip.

  
"I.. am ... Not really comfortable, quite the opposite actually. Just trying to do a reasonable impression of it. What am I going to do anyway? What I wore to the party is ...missing... and I am locked in here. Throwing an old fashion tantrum about it isn't going to fix that. Tolerating my evolving situation would be a better turn of phrase. You are intimidating whether you mean to be or not. I don't think I've even been in the same room with an officer of your rank much less woken up in their bed..." She let herself confess out loud after thinking it earlier. He looked her over again, oh she was amusing. He was right. Despite how out of place she looked at that party she most definitely wouldn't have bored him with small talk had he gotten to her in time to make conversation. 

  
"The way things come out of your mouth are a lot older sounding than you look. Usually young women quickly irritate me or bore me to tears. By that I mean you have a mature grasp of the situation you find yourself in. So appease my curiosity. How old are you really?" He strongly suspected the data on her credentials was a lie when he looked it up that morning. That was because identity cards only gave an approximation of her age as she had been unable to produce full documentation when getting it, she had also put herself down as older so she could get better work. She was a little thrown by the whole statement and question. 

  
"Well that's a bit forward of you ask me, isn't it Director?" She tried to feign shock at the question. He rolled his eyes slightly. He's patience was thin for drama this evening.

  
"Spare me the theatrics of offence. I asked you a question now you will answer it. Or I will have those troopers outside my door march you to a cell in your state of undress and leave you sit in it for as long as it takes for me to dream up a non incriminating reason for you being there." For someone who she thought was working hard on getting drunk he was still very switched on.

  
She had to think about that. Half counting on her fingers "Twenty, I think."

  
He gave her a perplexed look. "You think?"

  
"I'm from Corellia sir and never particularly well off. Time passes a lot differently when you are in what might as well be called paid servitude for a decade of your life."

  
"Corellia. Well that would explain a few things, Did you learn your skills there?" He rocked out of his chair fetching what he had already decided was his last glass for the evening. Having reached that pleasantly numb point of intoxication and wanting to keep some wits about himself. In his younger days before this project consumed his life things would have been different. A hangover would have felt like a welcome achievement. She followed his movement across the room. 

  
"Some. Some in other places I worked. The rest was self taught by natural curiosity of how things tick." He walked over and refilled her glass half as much before corking the bottle for the night "Oh I uh... I ah … I really shouldn't." Well, he probably wasn't going to go marching her down to a cell right now if he was refilling her glass with that expensive alcohol. 

  
He simply smirked "Yes you should. Yes you will. Be a good guest and I shall see what can be done about your treason... issue." 

  
She was slightly concerned by the way he let that last word hang, but took the glass and sighed. He was making her feel very much under his thumb at the moment. She glanced over the drink watching him settle back in the chair. His state became more relaxed. Strands of his overly neat silver hair starting to stray off on their own. His steel blue gaze staring off in what once again looked like deep thought, she still thought he was much more attractive when it wasn't a serious glare directly at her. She questioned if she should even think that about someone clearly much older than her, maybe it was all because she had not taken the time to look at anyone for so long. Surely that was it. Then she got curious. Trying to steer the subject away from her transgressions, hoping it would ease whatever punishment he might have planned. 

  
"Is this the routine for you? Finish your duties for the day come back here and drink yourself numb? I mean. I usually finish my day a dishevelled mess like yourself... I mean... untidy relaxed mess. But satisfaction for my work is comforting enough until the next day. Is this project really worth it?" He thought she was so odd. No one in his own command would in their right mind dare question what he did in his own private time, his routine as she called it. Certainly not if they were confined to his quarters looking down the barrel of treason accusations. 

  
He swirled what was left in his glass. Watching her quickly hide behind her own glass perhaps regretting what just came out of her mouth. Krennic stared at her regretful look. She was young and intelligent. But obviously lacking his polishing in manipulation, it was amusing that she was attempting to give it a try on him of all people. Her nervousness was a big hindrance to her. Course it wasn't going to bother him at all in the near future. No right now he was definitely more interested in her physical attributes. She wasn't unfit. Krennic wouldn't have assessed her in the level of a soldier though, whatever she did must have been at least somewhat physically demanding. She was probably about fifteen or so centimetres shorter than he was. Her hair must have hung down over her shoulders when loose. It was a dark blonde colour with a loose curl in it. Her eyes he had noticed were a homely shade of brown. She wasn't like the kinds of women he often encountered. She put just enough attention into her looks to be attractive whether she intended that to be the case or not he wasn't sure. He finally broke his thoughts with a retort to her question. 

  
"I fail to see how my daily routine is any of your business. Yes. It is worth it. If this project needs more of my blood sweat and even tears to be completed so I get my recognition it will get them. It's stressful dealing with incompetence and pompous attitudes of others. So yes. This is indeed my routine." She twigged at the lisp in his speech, she thought she heard it before. Stress clearly made it surface. He seemed immediately more annoyed that she clearly must have noticed it. Oh this was not going well at all. She nervously downed the last of her liquid courage and changed the subject. Patting the couch. 

  
"S... So I guess... if I am locked in this um... well appointed cell is it possible to at least get a blanket out here?"

  
He shook his head getting up without an answer, her unintentional annoyance of him had helped him resolve a few thoughts of what to do with her. He made it over to her in a few well placed strides grabbing her arm "Up. Now." She yelped when he grabbed her. It was a lot more firm than the way he grabbed her from his office to seat her there in the first place. 

  
"Ow. Ow. Stars . Ow please let go!" He didn't. Firmly walking her back to his bedroom. Rather than walking her through the door though, he slammed her roughly into the wall beside it. Twisting the arm he had hold of up her back. She realised how much taller he was than her and quite a bit stronger it seemed. He pressed his whole frame against their holding her against the wall.

  
"No. You will just listen to me moment, now that I have thought about it. I'm not going to let you go here is why. You might think I only have copies of what you said out loud, I actually have more. Would you like to know how much?" She felt that first chill of fear run through her. He was pressed against her hard enough that he felt that quiver of fear and concern as to how much he potentially knew. "I've actually looked into how much you have siphoned off while I was on duty today, it wasn't hard to find your poorly covered financial tracks Kitah Shae.” Well that was proof enough to her that he had most definitely looked into her records when he finally used her name.

  
“So I think you can start to work it off right here. So let's say for now I personally hold your debt, since I'm the only one who knows about it for now as I've done a lot better job than you did of hiding it. I can uncover it again just as easily so I'll collect on this debt at my leisure. Starting right now." He held her firm and stressed her arm a bit further to make his point. She hissed and whimpered at the pressing pain in her shoulder. By the way he was holding her there she was starting to get an idea of how he would have her repay her debt, such a shame she thought. In different circumstances she might have quietly even enjoyed the insinuation that an officer like him was even interested in her in the physical sense 

  
"I don't really care either way if you willingly accept the terms of your punishment or not. But it would be a lot more pleasant for both of us if you did accept responsibility for your actions and take your punishment with a little...dignity." He brushed her hair aside, breathing the last words against the back of her neck. Punctuating his last word with a kiss to her shoulder. That made all her systems malfunction for a hot second. Everything from her breath to her brain skipped for a second. No, he was supposed to be angry at her. Why did that action make her feel like that, no one had made her feel like that. He smirked noticing the effect it had on her, try as she might to give off the impression of her wanting to struggle. 

  
"Y. You.. can't just keep me.. me under some make shift h... h house arrest .. my superior will.."

  
"Actually I can and I will. Your superior was informed earlier today that you have been detained on this station due to an incident that is pending investigation.” She suddenly managed to muster a shove back against him with force he had not expected. She was more frustrated and upset by that statement than anything else it seemed. 

  
"Ugh! What did you do that for!? I'll lose my work! My lab! They'll just pick over it like scavengers! They'll destroy it all and sell it off!!" He twisted her arm more and lifted her away from the wall slightly to shove her back against it harder to get her focused again. 

  
"Settle down pet. So I see you are not entirely apathetic. You have passion over your work. Now that is something I can relate to." He spoke against her neck again "Take this rather light punishment with dignity and I will make sure nothing happens to your lab or your work and the financials will stay buried. Hmm? Try to be smart about this, this is no light thing you have done." She paused her upset struggling for a moment while she considered the proposal. He already knew he had her the moment she stopped struggling. Surprisingly the thought of losing her work was a much better negotiator than he could have imagined. Perhaps he should have led with that.

  
"Y...you could do that?" If he could, she would be rather foolish to get herself turfed out of 'house arrest' in an officer's quarters down to the brig and then onto an actual imperial prison where she would lose everything. He was pleased to hear the consideration in her voice.

  
"Of course I could." He drawled "I am the Director of the Department of Advanced Weapons Research. No one would so much as question if I wanted someone’s research and lab locked down and left untouched. Honestly I've done far worse for this project and no one has barely blinked." He did have a point. Oh how did she get so screwed? All for stupidly accepting a drink at a party. Was there a worse person that could have discovered her activities? _Wait yes. Don't answer that._ Yes there would have been. He felt the exhale of defeat leave her. 

  
"... What is it you want from me then Director?" Kitah was pretty sure she had an accurate idea of what that might be. She was going to have to find a way to deal with her nervousness about that. Hopefully able to avoid him knowing how long she had been alone for. He responded to her accepting question by releasing the pressure on her arm. She tucked it immediately around in front of her cradling it against her chest. He rocked back slightly, she felt a chill rush to her back when he moved away. Putting his hand on her shoulder, pressing his thumb into the painful spot loosening it. This was to have the opposite effect to the pain he just caused her. She let out a whimper at the initial pain of his pressure before it started to release.

  
"For now you can serve out your 'house arrest' as you so put it by being pleasurable company for me. In every sense that you might have already guessed that entails. Perhaps you can break up that ... routine ... of mine you seemed so concerned with earlier.. hm?"

  
She nodded "Y..yes sir."

  
"Good girl. So glad you can see things my way. Much easier. Now you can get out of those undergarments. You've been wearing them since yesterday." He pulled her away from the wall and guided her through the door pressing gently on the back of her neck to encourage her to walk across the room to the refresher. She hasn't taken much notice of the appointments outside of essentials in her drugged haze earlier in the day. This time she noticed some appointments that were definitely well above her pay grade 

  
"Sparkdust... That's a shower... Like... A real one. It's not a sonic shower th.. that runs on water!" He found her sudden bewilderment an amusing attitude adjustment. Krennic took advantage of her distraction to undo the snaps on her bra. Her body stiffened at the realisation. 

  
"Relax. If I was going to do anything to really hurt you I would have done it already." She knew he most definitely could have. She didn't feel like he was really even trying that hard to restrain her moments ago, it was purely an attention getter. Truth be told, Krennic didn't want to ruin his lucky find and was using a great deal of restraint not to hurt her and just get what he wanted as a once off. He knew if he couldn't restrain his volatile nature that he would just end up making good on his threat of having to dump her off in the brig. A miserable and upset woman locked in his quarters waiting to hurl something at him the moment he returned was not his idea of a good time.

  
He slid the straps off her shoulders. He ran his knuckles lightly down her spine. Why was that touch making her lose the very tension he just created by getting her submission to his idea of her punishment? Why should it? She knew what he was going to want the moment he started to lay out his terms. He was a man, with a hold over her and a position of power. Didn't need to have a degree to know where that was going. What she was unsure of though was how much she wished to fight about it. He'd already shown he could physically put her in her place, she couldn't get out of these quarters since he made no secret of the fact there were guards outside the door and above all that he could most definitely ruin her very idea of freedom.

  
"You seem to be giving something a lot of thought my dear." His voice near her ear snapped her out of her mental battle of pros and cons. 

  
"I was. Yes." She slid her bra off before tucking her thumbs inside the edges of her panties and sliding them off. When she straightened up again she felt his hand in her hair pulling the tie out of it, its long dark blonde strands having become quite messy, somewhat removed from how nice it was for the party. 

  
"Beautiful."

  
The simple compliment made her blush and stutter over her words again "Oh it's not... It's messy... And.." He turned her grabbed her chin before she went off on another nervous rant. 

  
"Hush. You are beautiful. Especially when you are just standing there. Without fidgeting or rambling. Terrible habits. You could stop a room with your looks but you let your nervous fidgeting and mumbling get in the way. Habits I will very easily break you of." He had indeed snapped her right out of it. Did he mean that? Beautiful? No one had ever said that, sure they'd said nice or even pretty but not beautiful. He let her go when he could see she wasn't going to start rambling again.

  
He eyed her as he was getting undressed, his expression urging her not to start that nonsense up again. He tossed his shirt aside, undid his trousers and stepped out of them and his briefs at the same time. Strangely she felt better once he was as naked as she was. That made him just a man, significantly less intimidating then the cruel but brilliant officer that was Director Krennic. He was pleased not to see any judgement or scrutiny on her features. For someone in his late forties he considered himself to be fit enough. Then again he was quite vain and company he had in recent times was probably not brave enough to tell him if he was looking old. He always felt self conscious enough that the stress in recent years had turned his hair silver before it's time. While she was probably no expert in people watching like he was. She could see that wondering or perhaps waiting for her to scrutinise him.

  
"Now who is deep in thought..." Kitah stopped and took a breath before she started rambling and stuttering "...you don't have to worry about what I think of your looks. You're just fine." She breathed out having got through the sentence with composure, it was a bold statement on her part. How did she pick what he was thinking like that? Maybe he hadn't given her enough credit, when he could see she seemed she could people watch as well. 

  
"Think so do you." She nodded at the rhetorical comment, wondering if she had managed to avoid the deeper implications of the almost admission she didn't mind the way he looked in the slightest. Clearly too long since she had had to form coherent sentences in the presence of a naked man. He then plucked her glasses off her nose and sat them aside then turned her around by her shoulder and herded her into the shower by his closeness. She let him, was there a point to arguing at this moment? She did remember that she was still a bit excited over the idea of a real shower with water. Even if she had to share it with a near stranger. When the water came on she couldn't help but jump. It was such a different sensation than a sonic shower or even rain. He was still amused watching her enjoy such a simple thing that he easily took for granted. 

  
"You should feel most fortunate. You would be the first I've shared a shower with in a very long time. I usually make a habit of kicking any other company I have actually had here out to make whatever shameful walk back to their quarters they have to."

  
Suddenly she did indeed feel fortunate. A walk of shame? Past those troopers out there and who knows how many more roaming around quite a cruel fate. Kitah thought about that while she washed her hair. He had done the same. Of course it took her longer. Which was fine, he wasn't going to waste an opportunity while she was still in an agreeable state. She had just rinsed off her hair and was about to go for the soap to wash the rest of her when she felt his hands on her shoulders, she did at least try not to flinch this time. He pulled her back against him, talking up close to her ear over the shower. 

  
"Let me." He wasn't really asking her. She nodded. Like he suspected she would. Agreeable. She felt the soap in his hands roam over her. Initially he deliberately avoided her breasts and other sensitivities. Krennic knew how to get what he wanted out of women, even out of the shy reluctant ones like her. He knew he wasn't going to have to force anything out of her.

  
Focusing on her shoulders, her arms and anywhere else innocent enough, giving her a false sense of ease. When he felt she was accepting enough of his touch on her he then moved to her breasts. He didn't grab at her or squeeze her roughly. His calm approach got him exactly what he wanted. She didn't resist, didn't flinch or jump. She just accepted his touch. Oh she felt a bit of shame. Down there at the back of her mind. But it felt good to have someone want to touch her like that. It really did. She had never been treated like this before. Hadn't she already resigned herself to the fact that fighting him wasn't the best measure? _That was it wasn't it?_ That was why she was being compliant. _Wasn't it?_ She failed to suppress a whimper that escaped her lips over the feel of his hands massaging her breasts. That whimper gave him more cause to continue. He moved one of his hands down her torso brushing over her pussy.

  
When the only reaction he got was the smallest of jumps and the sound of her gasping back through her teeth he pressed his hand firmer against her pussy. He pulled her back against him. She let out another soft yelp at his action, still she didn't grab at him or try to stop him. He groaned into the crook of her neck, she could feel why. The hardness of his cock pressed against her behind. She didn't get to dwell on that though. He slipped a finger between her folds and pressed against her clit. "Ah!" She couldn't contain her pleasurable sound that time. 

  
"Mmn... No one will hear you. So don't hold those sweet sounds in on my account." He kissed against the crook of her neck nipping her after it. Getting another pitiful whine out of her. He pinched her nipples in between squeezes to her breasts. Thoroughly enjoying the feel over her small bucks and writhes against him from caressing her pussy and rubbing her clit. He had stripped away her ability to care. _Damn him..._. Almost like he had heard her thoughts about him he slid a finger into her. "Ah! You.." she bit her lip. Oh yes he'd heard all sorts of insults from flustered women. But this one stopped herself from going further with them. Interesting. She leaned her head forward hiding her face behind her long strands of wet hair. Not that it covered the moans she made when he pressed a second finger into her wanton pussy not when he flicked her clit with this thumb. He took his hand off her breast for a moment to lift her head back up. 

  
"Oh no you don't. You stay present. No hiding behind your hair. You're enjoying it, don't overthink it. Just let yourself enjoy it..." He pulled his hand away from her pussy, that only got another frustrated whimper from her. He brought those fingers to her mouth. "You taste that my dear. That is the sweet taste of how much you are letting yourself enjoy it." She resisted that notion for a moment, he gave her a persuasive tug on her hair. She relented and licked at his fingers when he pressed them against her lips, feeling a fresh flush of embarrassment that she gave him what he wanted too easily. 

  
Not that she needed telling how aroused he had made her. Something about him making her come to grips with that was arousing in itself. She moaned around his fingers while he slid them into her mouth. He grabbed her wrist and pulled it behind her before folding her fingers around his maddeningly hard cock. He moaned over the feeling. He gave her another nip against her neck. "See now that's how much I am enjoying this. I am going to fuck you hard enough so those troopers outside my door know it."

  
She moaned around his fingers at the thought, somewhere between concern and anticipation. He plucked his fingers from her mouth and put them back to abusing her pussy, rubbing and tormenting her clit all over again. It didn't take long to bring her back to that edge he had her at. Now he intended to push her over it. Feeling no need to take her hand away from where he had placed it, she kept the grip around his cock, stroking him in a similar rhythm that he was tormenting her with. She went tense when she was stuck in that moment just before her climax breathlessly pleading at him. 

  
"Please... Don't... Stop." He fleetingly considered it when she begged, but now wasn't the time to be cruel. "Oh I won't." He pressed two fingers back inside her, pressing his thumb firmly against her clit rocking over it. That did it. She shuddered and writhed, her pussy tightening around his fingers when she came.

  
He held her there, feeling the small quivers run over her as her climax subsided. He took his hand away from her pussy offering those fingers to her again, she lazily rocked her head back. Still in that pleasurable haze, but still gave him what he wanted. She licked along the lengths of his fingers, sucking on one then the other. Oh he would make good use of that rambling mouth later. When she released his fingers from her mouth he turned off the water. He groaned when he took her hand away from his cock, he wasn't after her to return the favour. Just yet. He gave her a slight push towards the door. She complied. Stepping out and grabbing one of the towels that she handed to him when he stepped out behind her. The next one she picked up she stopped to appreciate how soft it was when she started to pat herself dry. She didn't realise what it was like to use a towel that didn't feel like sandpaper. Oh she was refreshing he thought. Appreciating every fine thing when she got the chance to touch it. Other women he knew just expected those things and didn't appreciate them at all.

  
When she was dry she leaned forward and wrapped up her wet hair in the towel and flicked it back carefully not to hit him. She was standing close enough to see him licking his bottom lip at her "What?" It could have been any number of things given what had just happened. He folded the towel around his waist, it did little to hide his arousal of course. She wandered out of the refresher. 

  
"I was thinking how long it's been since I've seen a woman do that with her hair and how marvellously sexy it is." She didn't think it was possible but that just made her blush even deeper than her already red cheeks could hide. Her mouth dropped open a bit. He quickly closed any gap between them taking her chin in his fingers "Don't. Start. That." He stopped her before she started to ramble. She thought about kissing him while he had her held there like that it seemed like the right thing to do. She wasn't sure if she should. Would he even want that? Her menial questions interrupted as he undid the towel off her hair leaving it's damp messy state free. Krennic then herded her back towards the bed with his closeness. He 'helped' her stumble backwards onto it when the backs of her legs came up against the edge.

  
She scrambled her way back onto the bed when he lost his towel and came at her in a near predatory way. He collected both of her wrists above her holding her down firmly. She felt him nudge her legs apart with his knee. She parted her legs for him taking the hint at his actions. He looked down at her beneath him. His light eyed gaze boring through her, different to his previous stern stares. Lustful. 

  
"Are you going to stop me?" She shook her head just enough to let him know she was willing to be compliant at the very least. He'd ensure she was more than that. He brought both her wrists together in one hand freeing the other for him to use to stroke the tip of his cock against her clit and tease her entrance. She gasped back through her teeth. She was still sensitive from his actions in the shower. Good. He thought. She could barely stand a couple of minutes of his torment. 

  
"Please... stop...that...." She whimpered

  
"Now I thought you said you wouldn't stop me hm?" He smirked. He knew what she meant but he just wanted to hear her say it.

  
"...Please stop...your teasing." She elaborated.  
  
"Stop teasing you and what? Sorry my dear I can't hear you through all that pathetic whimpering you are doing." She tugged at her wrists as she writhed, letting out one more pathetic whimper as he called it. 

  
"Please... Director Krennic... fuck me like you said you would." _Damn him_. She was going to have to start getting wiser to his manipulation or he would continue to walk all over her. Did she even care if he did though? He stayed still hoping she would give him more. "...So your guards will hear."

  
Oh yes. That would do nicely. She barely finished the sentence when he thrust into her deeply with one stroke. She cried out in pained pleasure arching her head back. He thrust deeply into her in the same way a few more times before he released her wrists knowing she wasn't going to fight him now. She wasn't going anywhere. He ran his hand down over her exposed throat, her head still arched back in ecstasy. He kissed over her throat, nipping at her skin just enough for it to hurt. She didn't care so long as he didn't stop those long deep thrusts he was giving her, her now free hands unashamedly ran up over his chest to his shoulders before her fingers slid into his hair. He'd pull almost all the way out before filling her with his length again. Each time a sweet sound left her mouth.

  
He kissed over her collar bone. When he pinched her perky nipple in between his fingers she rewarded his hearing with another pleasured sound. He squeezed her other breast firmly before pinching that nipple in time with her other. It was driving her insane. He felt her bury one of her hands deeper in his hair tugging gently on him. For her affections he pinched harder on her nipple, biting her collarbone this time. He moved his hand from her breast curling it under her shoulder holding her still against a brutally hard thrust. Oh she was tight, he knew she would ache tomorrow, for the most part he didn't care. It had been too damn long since he had something so fine wrapped around his cock. He ran his hand from her hair down her side and around over her firm arse that he squeezed the cheek of tightly for quite a few thrusts.

  
He then picked her leg up behind her thigh widening her and letting him thrust deeper though he only gave her a moment to adjust to all of that before pulling out almost completely lingering for a torturous couple of seconds and thrusting back into her fully "Ah! Krennic!" She yelped. He wasn't sure if she was chastising him or enjoying it. Her hand tighter in his hair suggested enjoying as did her attempts at matching his thrusts back against him, oh she was enjoying it. She wanted it. Well if she wanted to do that he thought... He dropped her leg, tucked his hand behind her neck and rolled off her keeping her against him until she was on top.

  
"You want to try and buck? You can do that from up there! Now sit up." She ran her hands down his chest giving his collarbone a nip of her own as she sat up. "Oh aren't we bold now you're.." He grabbed her hips and kept her still thrusting hard up into her. "Up there!" The change in position allowed for all new places of pleasure to be hit by his movement. This got a much louder cry out of her. That was more like it. He let out a moan of his own when she thrust her hips against him. He watched her breasts bounce rhythmically with her thrusts. Maker how did this smug man so quickly make her abandon the nerves that had tried to hold her back.

  
Her hands roamed over his chest, her nails digging into him slightly when he matched one of her downward thrusts with one of his own. It just made her cry out loudly again. He hissed back through his teeth at her clawing. She didn't actually mean it, but he didn't seem to mind. If anything it spurred him on more, enjoying each one of the sounds she rewarded him with. She stopped digging her fingernails into him sliding her hands back to his shoulders. 

  
He was starting to feel tense, feeling his climax building. He held her hip with one hand firmly forcing her to buck hard against him. He licked his thumb on his other hand pressing against her clit. Her cry at his touch there was very loud. He'd be surprised if his guards didn't hear her that time. He grunted at his own exertions. But he was determined to feel her come around his cock before he came himself. He pinched her clit, pressing harder. That was it. He felt her shudder, that sweet sensation of her pussy contracting in orgasm around his cock. That last near scream she let out about it was so very worth it. He only managed a couple more thrusts after her before he came himself, spilling into her. He sat up at that moment holding her closely. 

"Fuck!" He yelled in ecstasy muffled against her breasts. He just didn't want to yell as loud as her lest his guards did come running thinking she had attacked him. They wouldn't dare lift a finger at the sounds of her distress or ecstasy however. The pair panted breathlessly for a few moments. She leaned her head down against his. Stroking her fingers again through his now sweaty hair. She was sure hers was the same. Still camouflaged by the dampness from the shower however. He pulled back from her caressing laying back on the bed. She rolled gently off him. Lying on her side a moment. 

  
"You can clean that." He rasped still without breath. She looked at his softening cock covered in the combined juices of their exertions. She supposed she didn't mind being ordered to do that. He had given her two rather nice orgasms that he didn't really have to after all. She leaned over him planting a couple of kisses over his chest before moving down his frame. He gripped the sheets tightly when he felt her tongue lash gently around him. She licked and sucked his cock clean as she had asked. He would not have thought her mouth held such talent beyond nervous rambling. She licked her lips looking over him "

  
I'm going to wash up. Since I now know how clean you like your bed." He nodded and left her to it. Closing his eyes for the moments she was gone. Very thoughtful of her he reasoned. Another thing he wouldn't normally concern himself with when he was done with... company. He moved to one side of the bed a bit more when the light to the refresher went out. With his eyes closed he felt her crawl back onto the bed. He lifted his arm up. 

  
"Come up here." He invited her close to him. She was staying, she might as well stay properly for now. She crawled up beside him laying against him and tucked under his arm. Her hand across his chest. She looked spent. Her hair was especially messy and her breath was still shallow. That's how a woman should be. She was even more beautiful than before. He stroked his fingers lazily down her arm. 

  
“Now that wasn't so bad was it?” He felt her shake her head slightly against him. 

  
“No... I guess it wasn't...” Her fingers traced the only blemish she could find on him apart from her fresh scratch marks; a scar from a several year old blaster wound. He would normally stop such attention towards that old scar, as it usually led to the how did that happen question. He rarely felt like explaining it. But he sensed she didn't actually care enough about it to ask for a war story. Krennic closed his eyes for a fleeing moment just wanting to enjoy the enduring afterglow.

  
"Why do they leave in shame?" He rolled his eyes, she had to break his contented silence. He thought with a minor amount of annoyance, although she couldn't possibly know how to read when he just wanted quiet. 

  
"Who? Oh. Those other women? They leave ashamed because they come here hoping to get some sort of a leg up the command ladder. When they don't get it. They pout. When they don't get special attention the next day, they pout. They'll say I was forceful or I coerced them as that's a better sell than they happily spread their legs for a high ranking officer hoping to get something out of it. Just another attempt to get me demoted. Having a reputation as a bit of a womaniser does make me a target for that sort of thing." That was right, of the small amount of things she had heard about Director Krennic she did vaguely remember hearing that about him. "When they didn't get what they expected they had nothing more than a shameful walk back to their quarters. Thankfully far from mine." Her fingers left the old scar and rested in the middle of his bare chest.

  
"But you don't seem to mind me here now? I mean you could have put me out on the couch." She certainly hoped he wouldn't at this moment. He shook his head. 

  
"Not at all. It seems tonight is the night for quite a few things I have not done in a while. Staying in bed with a partner being one of them. Speaking of which..." He pulled one of the blankets over them "Sleep. Some of us actually have work to do tomorrow." Maybe it was already tomorrow. He hadn't looked at the time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 🎵 [Stay Alive - Hidden Citizens](https://youtu.be/3HgWgNXTXhQ)
> 
> I'll add a song that I thought went well with each chapter as I was writing it. Thankyou if you stuck through the first chapter and wish to go on! 
> 
> * Few small artistic liberties taken to get the story rolling, such a celebrations after completed sections and other gatherings. But we're talking about a massive community of workers and personnel.
> 
> * [Rendili Star Drive](https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Rendili_StarDrive)
> 
> * [Spectacles](https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Spectacles)


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well thank you muchly for daring to move to chapter 2. I will try to keep the chapter lengths about the same. Depending on what is in them as far as steps in the story are concerned. Sorry if all those little paragraphs bother you. I just find it hard to read text in big blocks.

* * *

  
  
When his alarm did go off the next morning she barely stirred at the sound. Kitah had barely moved at all. She made a small noise of complaint when he got up. But she didn't stir beyond lazily grabbing a pillow and snuggling that instead. Krennic smirked at her antics and his current fortunes. Reminded that a beautiful creature not even half his age had given him one of the best fucks he'd had in recent memory, she really didn't have to. She could have fought and complained and been completely unwilling to submit to his affections. But just letting someone do what they want without stopping them was very different to what had actually gone on.

When he stepped out of a fresh shower he looked in the mirror at those deep red scratches she had put into his chest. He was glad that was something he would keep to himself all day. He was fairly certain that no one else he would run into over the course of the day would be wearing such 'war wounds' under their uniform. His good mood that he woke up was certainly set to continue. She stirred wearily when she felt a weight on the bed again. She couldn't even think where her glasses were at that point. But she could make him out just fine thanks to the white of his uniform, though she would much rather be able to see his face clearer which she had now come to consider quite handsome. 

"Come here." He commanded with familiarity. She made some pathetic sound of protest and moved to the edge of the bed where he was seated. He tangled his gloved hand gently in her messy mane and kissed her. She let out a soft moan when he bit her bottom lip. Of course when she went to touch him and his hair he grabbed her wrist firmly in his free hand. He was neat as a pin for the day's duty and wasn't going to let her ruin that. 

"Ah! Just keep your hands to yourself." He said sternly against her lips before returning to the kiss. She accepted and nodded pulling her hand back. He released her wrist and her hair. She was close enough to him now anyway. She tilted her head and closed her eyes for a moment. Fresh shower, some form of aftershave, clean uniform and the smell of soft hide leather. She opened her eyes again actually taking better notice of his neat dressed appearance.

He was yet to don his cape. She wondered if he would be offended if she said he looked better without it. She noted that it detracted from how handsome he looked just in his white tunic. Then again maybe obscuring his true physique was the point of it. "You do look very good for this hour of the morning Director." That sounded stupid she thought, what else would he be looking like at this hour. Oh well words were out now. She would just have to brace for the response. 

"Hm so do you." She failed to see how that was given her dishevelled state. "I've left a shirt for you on the end of the bed, in case you didn't want to walk around all day in a complete state of undress. Not that I would mind should I check my personal security feeds from time to time." She would think about it. With that he got up. He took her chin in his hand and titled her eyes up to his "I have to go. Don't touch anything and don't mess with my work or my office. As a matter of fact stay out of there altogether. Understand me?"

She nodded "I understand." He cupped her cheek for a brief second then left. "Good girl." He put on his cape and left with it swirling after him. She lay back down when she heard the swish of the door and the beep of it locking. That's good. It would keep the embarrassment of knowing those troopers that had heard her cries from the night were well on the other side of the door. She couldn’t believe she had slept right through the night. When had that happened last? Years. Was that all it took to keep those nightmares at bay, not sleeping alone? One good night's sleep wasn’t going to fix the monumental sleep deficit she had. But maybe it wasn’t going to be the last she would get.

* * *

Krennic's day was above average for him. He'd started the day in such a good mood it was well after midday before he had to roar at someone for their incompetence. The only other irritation that intruded into his day was that engineering apprentice who kept hovering around unnecessarily close to him. Well beyond what she needed to be to learn from him. She was so unimportant he actually could barely recall that she had indeed thrown herself at him one night in his office a month or so ago when he was stuck back late. He assumed for the same reason as the others of course. Hoping that she would get a leg up. Both physically and professionally. Of course like usual only one of those things had happened to her. Krennic didn't realise at first how obsessive she was about it. All over him all the time. Too helpful. Flat out annoying him. If he could get rid of her to another department he would. Tarkin hand picked some recruits and assigned them. For now unless she actually broke some other protocol he wasn't going to be able to get rid of her and it infuriated him. He rolled his head from side to side stretching his neck. There she was again. How is it she kept having the fucking time to bother him when he lumbered her down with busy work every day. 

"Oh sir do you need something for tension? I could fetch you a caf or somet.." Oh he needed something for the tension alright, nothing she could give him that was for sure. 

"No. What I need you to do is your job. There's a whole new section of corridors I don't have a structural integrity report on. I want it by this time tomorrow. Am I clear?" She nodded dutifully feeling so privileged that he needed her and her alone to do this task. Clearly he was taking notice of her work. It would only be a matter of time surely before he offered her a promotion and gave her his affections again. Krennic's features turned into a sneer of disdain as she almost skipped away. "Fucking that one was a mistake." He muttered to himself.

Kitah had been lying on the couch not realising she had fallen so deeply asleep again, despite her predicament she had burned a candle at both ends for so long; her job during the day and her own projects at night. She was forever in a state of exhaustion if it wasn't working day and night it was not sleeping well in between. She was roused however by the sensation of someone stroking their fingers through her hair. 

"You're mumbling in your sleep again." She opened her eyes slowly looking to see Krennic's blurry features above her. How did he do that? How did he sneak up on her twice now without her hearing a thing. She didn't even hear the door hiss. She should have known though, she could now smell so much about him it was pleasant. The leather of his glove in her hair to the faintest whiff of what remained of the aftershave he'd put on that morning. 

  
"Nothing incriminating this time I hope... Thank you for the meals sent up from the mess hall you could have told me you were going to do that so that trooper didn't almost give me a heart attack. Not to mention how embarrassing that was at least I had put this shirt on!" He smirked at how flustered she would have been and pressed a datapad into her hand, then dropped her glasses on her nose from somewhere she must have deposited them. She adjusted them to the end of her nose so she could see.

  
"What's this?" She sat up crossing one leg under the other and started to read what he had given her. It was an official communique. Orders. To her superior at StarDrive. About her lab and her work, that it was to be locked down and untouched until further notice, signed off from his position as the Director of the Department of Advanced Weapons Research. Kitah knew the full use of his title would have given her superior chills of concern, he was terrified whenever the high command even glanced sideways in his direction. She craned her head up towards him. 

  
"See I am a man of my word. Your lab and work is safe as houses. As promised. I may have also updated your story to your superior. You are providing assistance to this project. For now. Which is not altogether untrue."  
  
  
She tilted her head curiously. "How is that then? I don't recall actually providing assistance."

"Oh but you did." He leaned down tilting her chin up holding her still a moment, he kissed her strongly on the lips. Taking his hand from her chin and tucking it easily inside the loosely buttoned shirt of his she had on squeezing her breast firmly in his hand. When she helplessly let out a whimper at the feeling he pressed his tongue into her mouth. She let herself return his near forceful affections, pressing her own tongue against his returning his kiss in kind. She stroked her fingers against the edge of his greying hairline to see if he would stop her this time. He didn't, so she continued by stroking her fingers affectionately through his hair, quickly leaving it dishevelled from its obedient placement that he wouldn't let her touch that morning. He continued for a few more moments before breaking the kiss and taking his hand from her. He grinned at her frustrated little mewl. He stroked his knuckles against her cheek to settle her. It barely worked. She couldn't believe how quickly this man got under her skin. He probably was very aware.

"... Apparently according to my aide I was almost pleasant to work with over the course of the day, well at least until the afternoon. I might have even got more work done than I would have thought. Perhaps because of something in my evening routine... Changed hm?" He had flustered her now. He liked seeing her that way. 

"Maybe s.. sir. D.. Dir.." He stroked his fingers along her jawline 

"Ah. Try to be conscious of that nervous rambling and I think for now; we're a bit past titles, I'll let you call me Orson while in my quarters if you wish Kitah." Hearing him actually use her name like that gave her a slight tingle. She didn't have a title but she was used to her superior and others calling her everything from 'Hey you!' to any other insult of her work or her short nearsightedness. Being called by name was pleasant. She held up the datapad and handed it back to him 

"Thank you... Orson. You did not have to do that for me given what I have done. As far as things go I guess it was a fortunate chain of events that led to you being the one that found me out as opposed to anyone else."

  
"Indeed, glad to see you are grateful. You could be in the depths of a prison hulk by now and your life's work would be dust in the wind. Though you've been so good with accepting the punishment I picked out for you, keeping my word was the least I could do." He was unapologetic and completely shameless over his decisions or actions. He tossed the datapad down on the table, straightened up and left her there heading to the bedroom intent on being out of his uniform. He was a little surprised when she appeared not far behind him. She wandered in front of him running her fingers along the edges of his cape 

"Can I?" He raised an eyebrow, a little suspect of her interest. Perhaps she was just grateful for what he had done for her lab? 

"Why are you even asking me as opposed to just doing?"

  
She shrugged coyly "You keep telling me not to touch anything."

  
"You're right I suppose I didn't I? But go on. Taking this off doesn't give me cause for concern."

He considered Kitah must be terribly worried with the hold he had over her, surely that was the reason for the returned attention. There was no reason he could think of for her to be near him right now of her own accord, she couldn't gain anything else out of him right now other than his attention that was. He hadn't demanded she be there. But here she was affectionately offering to take him out of his suddenly stifling uniform. Kitah reasoned that despite the fact she was supposed to be being punished his presence had not been altogether unpleasant. He had protected her work and her reputation just like he said he would do. There was also no way would she deny how good he'd made her feel last night. 

She reached around his neck with her fingers un-clipped his cape from his collar; she took it off his shoulders and to the open closet that she had already had a quick glance over when she was alone. Of course he knew that already. When she returned and began to undo his belt he cautiously put his hand on his blaster. _Was that what she was up to?_ It was the first time she had given it any thought. She couldn't help but realise when he had his right hand over it the blaster was backwards for a right handed shooter. "You shoot with your left..." How astute of her, no other woman had ever brought it up. Of course they were unlikely to have noticed or cared. Kitah didn't actually mean to make that an out loud observation.

"The academy spent many years trying to make me shoot with my right. I am left handed it so it never came to me. I've learned to live with it." His tone quickly changed to annoyed, there was that lisp again. For some reason she suddenly felt bad that she was causing him aggravation by bringing it up and then of course he got more annoyed that she had heard him do it for the second time. Wanting to defuse the situation quickly she held up her left hand 

  
"They say left handed people are often misunderstood. But are often gifted." She put her left hand on his cheek. She could feel his jaw clenched firmly "... I'm actually left handed too. I wasn't judging you. I was only curious of your adaptation I'd never seen a holster design like that before, I see it would actually make for a faster draw." The tense feeling in his jaw slackened with her statement, perhaps with her genuine touch too. It was a natural instinct. He was tired of being scrutinised and judged by his peers over it, just another thing he did differently. It had always been that way. She still made no mention of his speech impediment. That was fortunate for her, he knew she had heard it at least twice now. Stiff retribution often came in one form or another to those who mentioned it especially in a manner designed to taunt him.  
  
  
He would dislike for his temper to ruin what he was able to take without protest from his involuntary guest at this early point be that intelligent conversation, physical pleasure or even affection. She might have tolerance for his antics right now, but sooner or later she would get doses of him she might not like so much. He would like it if he could keep her comfortable long enough for her to forgive him and not become troublesome when that inevitably happened. While he was considered by many to be totally narcissistic with few redeeming human traits it wasn't entirely true. He could genuinely enjoy pleasant company, it was just what suited his idea of pleasant was very narrow. This one in front of him could all too easily work her way right into that suitability if he wasn't careful.   
  


"I'll take you at your word for now." Kitah removed her hand from his cheek, tapping the buckle on his belt.   
  


"So are you going to let me take this off or are you still concerned I might try to shoot you?” She wouldn't be the first woman to try that either. He took his chances moving his hands away, trusting his reflexes to physically stop her if her affections were still all just a ruse to get such an opportunity. She tucked her fingers under the latch of the belt and undid it, taking it and the blaster off and set it harmlessly on the side board. No attempts made to shoot him. He took out his code cylinders and removed his rank badge placing them on the sideboard with his belt and weapon. She was a little perplexed

  
"Just take it off. I'll wear a different one tomorrow." He answered her unasked question. He felt a little smug. Imagining the lecture someone like dusty old Tarkin would give about leaving the security devices and a weapon unsecured with a stranger in one's quarters. A stranger who was meant to be a detainee what's more. However he wasn't stupid it was a calculated risk, confident in his ability to disarm her. She wasn't getting out of his quarters with anything sensitive either, not when his personal guard was outside with explicit instructions not to let her pass. She reached for the clasps at his collar.   
  


"How do you even work in this thing? I don't think I could even breathe..." She undid them along with opening the rest of his tunic. 

  
"I imagine I am just used to wearing it. While the concept seems a little foreign to you. Do you even wear a work uniform where you are stationed?" She walked around him taking the tunic off his shoulders   
  


"I do and I should are two very different concepts." He pulled his gloves off with a smirk dropping them with his belt   
  


"You are just full of insubordination aren't you. I think when your time here is finished I'll be having your superior dismissed from StarDrive. He's clearly not very good at his job. A corporation that does work for the Empire should have more competent people running it." Her voice caught in her throat at that comment. He went and sat on his bed to remove his boots. She folded the tunic over the back of a chair.   
  


"Would you actually do that?" She knelt down in front of him offering to take them off. He lifted his hands away and let her   
  


"Depending on what sort of a day I'm having if I felt so inclined. It would be my duty to the empire to have someone removed from their position if I knew they were not fulfilling the job correctly." She felt his hand in her hair as she pulled off one of his still very clean boots despite walking around all day. She leaned back into his hand subconsciously while she removed the other.   
  
  
"But doesn't that mean me as well?"

  
"You are nobody's superior, nothing would be gained by making you lose your job. You're already serving a punishment for your dishonest actions. From what I hear you're actually quite good at your job. Though I'm not sure what to do about your uniforms are optional ideas."

  
"I didn't say they were optional I said I just didn't like to. I'm in a private corporation that's under contract for the Empire; it barely qualifies as a uniform anyway. I refused to wear it when I could help it. I just get too hot and dirty most of the time. Making plain work overalls a much more attractive option. Well atleast on a practical level." Heat and dirt, two of Krennic's least favourite words together. It just reminded him of some of the worst aspects of getting this project off the ground while stuck on that slag pit Geonosis. When she went to get up he tightened his hand in her hair keeping her where she was. He leaned down looking at her. 

  
"If I didn't have work I needed to finish before tomorrow morning I would make you stay down there and make use of that proximity." She inhaled back through her teeth, not entirely sure if it was because of the grip he had in her hair or the 'threat' itself. He smirked as he stood and walked around her leaving her there with her thoughts while he went to his office.

  
Unlike him she was unskilled at walking quietly anywhere and he heard her approach him from behind. Krennic turned to her on the chair. He glanced at what he was working on. It was just one mundane section of many and certainly nothing too sensitive for him to hide from her. He had already undone buttons on his undershirt. She held out a glass of the same Corellian alcohol he'd had the night before. 

"Would you like this or should I maybe wait until you're done?" He shook his head and took it, this kind of attention was something he could get used to. He wondered if it was entirely just a case of her being 'polite'. 

"It takes more than a few of these before I'm not able to work efficiently. This is just mind numbing busy work anyway. I was hoping I got enough done today. Then just before I leave my office I find out someone has lost schematics for an entire section of quarters on an almost complete deck." It seemed like such a minor thing to her. From what she remembered on the way onto the party the sections that were completed and people were in seemed much the same. But what would she know architecture wasn't her thing. He sat the already half drunk glass down returning to his work. She watched him concentrate for a few minutes before he spoke again not lifting his head. "You might have noticed Kitah that I have quite a strong dislike of being stared at or scrutinised... Especially while I am working." She cringed. Not what she wanted. She walked around behind him putting her hands on his shoulders. He tensed even more under her touch. 

"I wasn't scrutinising you Orson. If it will help, rest assured I'm really not the kind of person who scrutinises others unless what they do directly detriments me." The tense feeling she got when she put her hands on him went away. The residual tension was still there. She gently massaged his shoulders cautious not to knock him while he worked. "I also didn't mean to stare. I was just.." She paused not sure if she would regret her admission. But she was also not going to ramble over it either "...Was enjoying how you looked focused on your work like that." She grew still not sure how he would react to that. He wordlessly picked up the glass and drained it before he turned from his work to look at her. 

"You. Are. Going to have to leave. me. alone." The expression that came over her must have been quite a sight, thinking she had somehow made him mad at her. She quickly took her hands off him and went to step back. He grabbed her wrist before she could move very far. 

  
"Because you are very distracting. I don't want to be in here all night doing this when there are other things I would prefer to be doing." He wanted to drop what he was doing and fuck her again like last night of he was being honest with himself.

"Oh I am sorry. I was only trying to be helpful." He pulled her closer for a moment planting another forceful kiss on her lips before he let her go and picked up the empty glass. 

"If you actually want to help then get me another one of those and go to bed. I'll be there later." She licked her lips the taste of the same strong alcohol on them. She took the empty glass from his hand, her fingers brushing against his as she left. He shook his head for a moment looking down at the pages. This was an unexpected 'problem' he didn't normally experience with other company. He would have just kicked them out or not had them there at all if he knew he had work to do. She returned with the refilled glass putting it down within his reach but far from the flimsiplasts he was working over. 

"Thank you." He didn't dare look up at her or he would just get side tracked all over again. She left him to his work not wanting to disturb him more, wondering if she could fall asleep just knowing there was someone else around. 

Kitah slowly stirred when she felt him come to bed. She opened her eyes still drowsy, not sure how long she had been asleep. He was still sitting up reading a datapad. "What time is it?" She sat up just missing that reading lamp she had previously hit her head on.   
  
  
"After four."

  
"Still working?" He nodded not glancing off what he was doing   
  
  
"Almost done. Just reports that got pushed off my desk by all that unexpected work." She inhaled quietly. 

  
"Have you been smoking? I didn't realise you did. Hmm you've also had much more to drink." He looked over at her wondering what her observations were driving at.  


"Your terrible eyesight makes some of your other senses rather alert I see. Now is that concern or disdain for my vices I hear? Helps me concentrate when I have to work late, not that I have to justify anything I do at all to you." She shrugged in agreement with his observations. 

  
"I guess concern. Neither in excess are good for oneself."  
  


His narcissistic personality trait of constant over indulging in such vices had stuck with him since his youth. No one ever worried about him in regards to it before. Well other than Galen when they were a lot younger, but even then he'd never go so far as telling him he should stop. "Only one of those things I do in what would be considered excess. Now why would you be the least bit concerned about anything I do to myself hm?"  
  


"Maybe I was thinking I could actually continue to enjoy your company." Her tone was indistinguishable, he couldn't tell if she was being serious or sarcastic. The glow of the datapad didn't give him a clear enough look at her expression to tell either.  
  


He scoffed "Liar." She leaned closer and kissed his shoulder   
  


"If that's what you need to believe." She slid back down into the sheets. He stroked some stray hair off her face.   
  


"Just go to sleep Kitah." He said with some air of disappointment. Could she actually want to enjoy his company? Maybe that wasn't so absurd. Other than twisting her arm in a little negotiation and keeping her locked in his quarters he had yet to be what he considered unpleasant. Quite the opposite by his standards.  
  


* * *

  
Krennic had left her where she was after only a few hours of lucid sleep. He wasn't surprised that she hadn't moved a muscle when he left but how was someone with her work history so difficult to rouse in the morning? His day was off to nowhere near the pleasant start of the day before. The day was long and frustrating, by late afternoon he sat in his office rubbing his fingertips together. One of his many habits he used to focus his stress before it became an outburst. Made infinitely worse by the next sound to shatter any sort of serenity he had found alone in his office.  
  


"Director Krennic sir! I finished those reports like you asked of me sir." That damn engineering apprentice with her overly sweet high pitched voice it was akin to rancor claws on transparisteel, today it actively made his eye twitch. She made her way over to his desk somewhere between a stroll and a skip. She then proceeded to plant herself on his desk in what she believed to be a seductive manner. She had absolutely no sense of how to read anyone's demeanour, his least of all.  
  


"Get the fuck off my desk." He growled too annoyed for proper protocol.   
  


"Oh that's not what you said a few months ago sir. Quite the opposite." She pouted still thinking he might be joking.  
  
  
"Get off my desk woman before I throw you off it!" He yelled, slamming his fist down on the desk. She hopped up with a start brushing her uniform down   
  


"Sorry sir. Here the reports are on here sir." She hastily put the datacards on his desk, still hovering hopefully to see if he would thank her. He clenched his fist so tightly the leather of his glove could be heard straining, she had stomped on his last remaining nerve for the day.  
  
  
"Let me be crystal clear about something Cassar..." He finally managed to pull her last name from the depths of his memory.   
  


"You might think I care about some quick fuck in my office. Believe me. I don't. I don't care about you any more than I do about any of the other women who seem to think they will get some perk or promotion out of me just for spreading their legs for a superior. If you don't stop this behaviour and accept you made a stupid decision I'll have you stripped of your apprenticeship and transferred." He wasn't going to let her know he couldn't at this point so he called her bluff. 

  
"If you think you are going to go crying about my antics to anyone you better make sure it's Governor Tarkin. Because no one else on this project out ranks me enough to care about your whining. But before you do that I suggest you remember I am a lot more indispensable than you! Do you understand me?!" He raged the last part at the top of his lungs at her slamming his fist onto the desk again. She cringed back away from his desk quickly. Nodding 

  
"Yes. Sir. Director sir."

  
"Good. Now get out of my sight!" She turned and almost ran out the door holding back her tears. He shook his head and sat back in his chair "Redheads." Krennic snarled as he calmed. He didn't notice the datapad stylus pens that had gone missing off his desk. Not unlike other various items that had disappeared over the past few weeks. 

  
Cassar had walked hurriedly down a corridor clutching the pens tightly. "That was so stupid." She whispered to herself "No wonder he snapped at you. You are just going to have to give him some space. Obviously you are smothering him. But he does remember your name!" She took a deep breath "He will realise he has hurt your feelings soon and apologise." She pocketed the pens and brushed herself off. Her plucky demeanour returning all too soon.  
  


* * *

  
Kitah had used one of the datapads he had left to do some calculations on for her project that had landed her where she was. It's not like thinking about it was diverting more funds. Of course how she was actually going to try and get it beyond schematics was another matter if that was even possible that was. She hadn't proved she could scale the idea yet. She heard the door beep, glancing at the time on the datapad she couldn't see a reason to try diving behind a chair or ducking into a room like she had tried to do when her meals arrived. It was very likely to be Krennic.  
  


The apprentice had kept her distance when she followed him at the end of his duties for as far as she could. That was until he and his troopers took a corridor that was off limits to those not staying in officer's quarters or having a good reason for being there. Right now she didn't. But that would change. She slowed down just enough so that when she walked past the corridor she just managed to catch at what junction his detail had just disappeared into. She made a note of it and quickly made herself scarce. Taking a roundabout way back to her own quarters.  
  


The door hung open for a few moments. She couldn't quite hear what he was telling his troopers. But saw him gesturing back and forth before he came in and locked the door. He got a few steps inside; a tired stern look on his features. Kitah was fairly certain it wasn't something she had done. He didn't even bother to attempt to get out of his uniform. He sat down in the chair opposite her. He undid the clips on his collar and took his gloves off and tossed them down on the table.   
  


"Is everything alright?" She knew it wasn't. He was sweaty and irritated. He couldn't answer her initially. He didn't trust himself not to yell at her for something that was not her doing. He half shook his head, the only response he trusted. He closed his eyes a moment hoping she wouldn't pester him for details. She gnawed on her bottom lip for a moment thinking of the best course of action. Krennic was so focused elsewhere he hadn't heard her move so he quickly moved his hand away when he felt her touch on the back of it. His eyes snapped open, an irritated expression still on his features. Before he could say anything at her she turned his hand over putting a curved glass into it   
  


"It's just wine. I don't think anything harder than that is what you need right now." Kitah had clearly explored his liquor cabinet in his absence. He looked down at the glass. How could one woman cause him such great aggravation and another diffuse it almost immediately? Wine was probably just the order of the moment. He took a few sizable sips from the glass. She had settled herself back onto the couch one leg tucked under her. He found it difficult to stay irritated sitting across from her, still naked apart from one of his shirts. He stared down at the glass then back at her.  
  


"Why are you alone Kitah? If you had someone in your life you would not be nearly so cooperative with the situation you find yourself in, sure you might cooperate just enough to ensure you don't end up in prison. Or even if you are just being cooperative you are showing much more concern and affection for me than I would expect if you had any attachments outside of these quarters at all. You are clearly not stupid. You know how to look after a man. You are young and attractive enough. So why are you alone?" He could tell by her silent reaction that his question had cut into her precisely where he wanted it to. Krennic had an analytical mind and sharp tongue. She just blinked for a few moments at his unexpected question trying to think how to answer him.   
  


"Well you would know, I am sure most men who want someone in their lives like that usually want someone who has more time for them then their work interests. I do not usually have this kind of attention span. I have had one maybe two attachments that would even qualify as relationships and they were short lived. I have never had much of a chance to socialise thanks to my work obsessions, it's not something I particularly enjoy. As you heard I have terrible people skills, of course this assessment is based on what those I work with think of me. Doesn't mean I am not capable of being caring and affectionate. I'm just... absent minded and forget to be I guess. Inadvertently I don't have my work to distract me right now. Makes it a little harder to forget to be as such. If the attention bothers you I can stop." 

  
He considered her answer was truthful enough, some parts of it anyway he thought there might be more detail to it. He thought her too young to have already stopped bothering with any attachments outside of her work. It was now no longer a surprise to him that she had caved so quickly to his approach the other night. Krennic considered after what she told him that it was no wonder she was actually pleasant company, she had no desire to be anywhere else other than doing her work and he had for the most part removed that concern from her. As for her treatment of him, no he most certainly didn't want that to stop. Not yet anyway. Kitah could see his thoughts had drifted off somewhere since her answer and changed the conversation back to him before he thought of some other overly precise question to ask her. 

  
"So would I be correct to feel some woman somewhere is to blame for this state you've come back to your quarters in? Seems odd that a question like that would come up otherwise." He glanced back at her after she disturbed his mental analysis of her answer . Krennic exhaled at the irritation wrought by his day. 

"Yes actually. I suppose you would even say I had it coming to me. Damn red headed women they're all the same. Insane."

  
"Oh so one of those women of yours hm?" He looked in the bottom of the glass and not at her when he answered.   
  
  
"Oh yes. But this one is taking a very long time to get the hint she's not getting anything further out of me. Terribly annoying. Pranced into my office and sat on my desk today. The nerve of the bitch." Kitah tried not to giggle at the thought, but it seemed that just venting about the woman was easing his pent up anger. She felt safe enough to get up and take his glass from him drinking the last few mouthfuls left in it before she refilled it and brought it back to him. He hadn't had time to react to stop her from taking it. _Damn minx._ She wandered behind his chair and started to rub his shoulders firmly, she leaned down and said softly near his ear. 

  
"I think you might be just a little to blame for this predicament in which you find yourself Director." Kitah would much rather be locked in somewhere with an amused and relaxed Orson Krennic than an angry and irritated one. If being caring and affectionate got her more of the former's company then she didn't mind being a part of that at all.  
  


"Oh I am, am I?"   
  


"I think so. You just said it yourself all redheads are crazy. Hmm but maybe that's what it is about them? Every time I see one there's always some hapless fellow staring at her. What's a poor girl like me to do against someone like her..." She ran the tip of her finger lightly over his neck.

  
"You're going to get burned if you keep going." He growled, this time it was not in anger.

  
"I think I am quite safe from getting burned. You are much too tired and stressed to be making any such threats I think." She said softly against his ear, giving him just the lightest of nips on it. She could tell her playful tone and actions were helping him. She was too busy tormenting him to notice he had quietly put his glass down on the table beside the chair.  
  


"My dear... you do know if I catch you before you make it to that bedroom I will fuck that coy mouth of yours." She didn't notice him shifting his weight slightly under her hands. It didn't feel like he was in any way ready to spring up and get her as he just threatened.  
  
  
"Oh Director Krennic. Do your comrades know about what language you come out with behind closed doors? I bet they don't even think of such a thing." He felt her hands loosen off his shoulders as she clearly thought about making the dash. He quickly reached up and grabbed her wrist and forearm pulling her strongly off her feet over his shoulder and onto the floor in front of him. 

  
"Damn... it!" She huffed in unexpected defeat. He put his boot on her shoulder gently to make a point, not that she needed much keeping there in her shocked and winded state. She wasn’t hopping up in a hurry. He leaned forward forearms on his knees and looked down at her. "Not ... Fair." She let out breathlessly. He shook his head making a couple of tisk sounds at her. 

  
"I do not operate in the balances of what is fair and what is not. You were warned and I thought that was generous enough. If you wanted a head start you should have given me something stronger than wine. I'm an Imperial officer; did you not think I possessed any hand to hand skills?"  
  
  
"Slipped... my ... mind..." He was satisfied that she wasn't bitter at him at least and took his boot off her shoulder. That was most definitely her own fault. She teased him and got burnt just like he warned. He offered her a hand off the floor. She accepted. Noting his smirk when he wouldn't let her get up further than her knees.   
  
  
"Oh no. You are just fine where you are." He tugged on the collar of the shirt she had on "Off." She undid the few closed buttons and threw it off. She knelt up closer to the chair, resting between his legs.   
  
  
"Oh you actually meant it didn't you...?"

  
He didn't say anything, only leaning back into the chair further. Damn right he meant it. Kitah let out a none too serious sigh of defeat and undid his belt, pulling it out from behind him and dropping it carefully on the floor with his sidearm. She tucked her fingers into the already un-clipped collar of his tunic and undid the rest of it, along with his undershirt. He just watched her, not saying a word. She leaned in close to him planting a few kisses on the faded marks she had inflicted on him the other night. She could feel his cock pressing against her stomach through his trousers. 

Kitah deliberately let him suffer with that uncomfortable problem for a few moments, if only for the way he had cheated by throwing her on the floor. She kissed down his frame for a few more torturous moments before she felt she had gotten him back just a bit. She undid his trousers which was met with a soft groan of relief from him. She tormented him through the fabric of his briefs for just a moment longer before adjusting his garments and freeing his length.

She caressed over his cock leaning her head down kissing and placing a few soft nips with her lips and flicks of her tongue. He brushed her hair out of his view. She was a fucking tease. Kitah didn't care and dragged it out. Stroking him firmer with her hands, along with more attention from her tongue. He curled his hand into her hair as a 'gentle' reminder to stop her slow torment. She figured he would go a little longer before making good on his earlier threat. She licked her tongue slowly along the underside of his cock. She heard a quiet noise of enjoyment from him so she repeated the action a couple more times. Stroking her hand over his length, over his balls and back over again. He groaned, tightening his hand on her hair. Her teasing tongue slicked his cock all over. It was when she had to cave beyond her teasing because she couldn't help herself by beginning to take him into her mouth. Sucking on him yes, but still a slow torment. 

  
"I.. Warned.. You..." He ground out closing his hand into a hard fist in her hair. He felt her moan with some discomfort around his cock. He didn't care, she had wanted to push him. So he did force his aching cock deeper into her mouth by the grip he had on her hair. She had been expecting it as soon as he tightened his hand. She pressed her tongue firmly against the underside of his cock, caressing his balls firmer in her hands. Having to let him control the depth and pace of which he forced his cock into her mouth. He looked down at her letting out a satisfying grunt noise at the sight of her face around his cock. 

  
He pulled her back letting his length almost leave her mouth totally. She filled the emptiness left by her mouth with her hands keeping the same pace as he had been. She let her lips and tongue torment the head of his cock. What a sight. He tightened his grip in her hair again, the only warning he gave her before slamming his cock fully into her mouth and down her throat. She nearly gagged at the sudden intrusion. He was almost going to let her go until he heard her inhale calmly through her nose he felt her still pressing her tongue against him.  
  
  
He smirked. Feeling she was just fine with it he continued to fuck her mouth, starting to shift uncomfortably in the chair as she felt him tense. He increased his pace, just when she felt sure he would explode into her mouth he pulled her off him roughly, pulling her head back and arching her breasts towards him. She let out a soft cry of surprise, drowned out by his own groan of pleasures as he came in hot streams onto her breasts. He held her there a moment to admire the sight before releasing his grip on her hair using his fingers to brush the dark blonde tangles off her features before he settled back into the chair breathless for the moment, he closed his eyes. 

  
He did wonder through the haze of pleasure if she was going to recoil from him now after being more forceful with her. Regret her initial compliance. Make it all too difficult for him to keep her under his house arrest rather than ship her off to a.. his thoughts disturbed by her hand on his cheek. She whispered softly against his ear.   
  


  
"I really do hope you're not thinking about anything outside these quarters any more." Referring to the redhead who had sent him back to his quarters fuming. His eyes were still closed but he heard the clunk of that wine glass when she put it down after draining it for the second time. He listened to the sound of her footsteps walking away in the direction of the bedroom. To the refresher he assumed. He should like to join her if that was the case but what he really felt like was a smoke. That would certainly complete his wind down. Maybe something stronger to drink since that damn minx kept finishing the wine she was so sure he needed.

She wasn't sure how long she had stood under the hot water for, probably too long by somebody's standards of water conservation. She was about to turn it off when she felt his hand push hers away from the controls. She jumped slightly. Before stepping aside to give him more room under the water since she was done and had only been standing there wasting the water. She kissed him when he got in, licking her lips softly for a moment after 

"Hmm so that's what you have been doing, you must be very relaxed by now." Her tone was pleasant and devoid of judgement 

"Well some delinquent thief kept stealing my wine before I could finish drinking it. Wonder where I would find one of those." She made an innocent face. 

"Oh that is terrible Director Krennic. If I see a thief in your quarters I will notify you immediately." Krennic shook his head slightly at her action. Why was it this young and quite likely eccentric girl was so much less irritating than anyone else he had to put up with during the day? Reminding himself how thin his tolerances for young women usually were for many reasons. They were often sulky, whiny, needy or some combination of the three. He wondered if she would be naked in the shower with him right now if he had just gotten to talk to her before she had that drink at the party. 

Probably not. He might have only gone as far as persuading her into letting him have his way with her somewhere secluded without even having to bring her back to his quarters. But then they both would have had nothing more to do with one another. At least with this hold he had over her she had to stay there, she couldn't hide behind her timidness or avoid him and it appeared at this point she wasn't going to try and get out of the arrangement just yet anyway. Seems they were both enjoying her 'incarceration' and if she did get on his nerves he could still transfer her to a detention facility.  
  
  
"I might need to be more firm with you. You don't seem like you are learning much of a lesson about not defrauding the Empire by your punishment."

  
"Oh I think I am learning enough about what it means to properly serve the Empire." She kissed his cheek and stepped passed him getting out. She dried herself before wrapping the towel around her hair leaving him to ponder her sanity further.

Kitah was laying back on the bed looking up at the ceiling. Her hair having fallen out of the towel in damp curls. She looked down the end of the bed lazily when he felt his hand on her ankle.   
  
  
"Look at you lying in the middle of my bed like you own it."  
  
  
“Well I'm lying in the middle of your bed exactly like you own it actually. Since I can't really lie on 'my' side now can I?"

  
"You could have made a fine politician. I almost believe you." She sat up a little "Almost?"   
  
  
He nodded with a thoughtful "Mmm hmm."

  
"Not that I want to tell you what to do, would you consider you should maybe get in...your... bed sometime soon? Given you must have got next to no sleep last night and you had such a stressful day?"

  
"True but I was also given a great cure for all of that stress when I got back here." That coy smile returned to her features.

  
"Don’t you mean you... Took ... a great cure?" He guessed she was right. He did take what he wanted; she didn't exactly give it over free of persuasion. She probably would have given the persuasion. But taking it felt even better.   
  
  
“That I did.” He idly caressed around her ankle. Tilting his head in thought. Kitah sat up on her elbows looking at him   
  
  
"What are you thinking Orson?"  
  
  
"Hmm? Oh nothing much." He gave her ankle a firmer squeeze before he wandered off to his closet. She knitted her brows as he walked off. She doubted he was thinking about nothing, she didn't think Orson Krennic was even capable of thinking about nothing. Her thoughts proved right when he returned, sans her glasses she couldn't see what he was up to until he got quite close to her. It was then she saw he had a belt in his hand, not a uniform belt. Thinner? From something civilian perhaps. She scuttled back a bit at the realisation. 

"Y..You.. know if you want your side of the bed back you don't need to do that...I mean I.." He rolled his eyes at her, guessing what she must have thought he was up to that prompted her reaction. 

"I'm not going to do anything of the sort... Unless you keep up that rambling. Hands out." He snapped his fingers in front of her. She wasn't sure what he was up to. Though at this point he hadn't shown any signs of actually wanting to hurt her. Course she also knew he had the temper, unpredictability and capacity for it. "Today." His commanding tone shook her out of her racing train of thought, she held her hands out in front of her with an uncertain look on her face. He wasn't about to ask her if she trusted him. By all accounts she probably shouldn't. He looped the belt around her offered wrists and tightened it up around them, keeping the buckle ends free. 

"Lie down just the way you were before." She was trying to read him, but did what he wanted anyway. He kept hold of the belt and pulled her hands up over her head, fastening the belt around the middle support of the bed head. Instinctively she tugged on her restraint just to see how seriously he had done it up. Serious enough that she couldn't get her hands out of it anyway.

She was partly in fear he was going to do something really cruel to her like leave her there like that and go work in his office or something. Nothing of the sort. He backed off the bed again down to the end where he tugged on her ankle pulling her back down the bed until the tied belt wouldn't let her move any further. She wasn’t at all surprised when he pressed her legs apart and moved up over her. Not unexpected. She glanced up and pulled on her wrists again. When she looked back again his face was level with hers. 

"You won't tug yourself free of that no matter how hard you pull at it." She lifted her chin at him 

"Is that so? You don't want to get scratched again is that it hm?"

"Not what I was thinking but an excellent point nonetheless. No truly I just like the idea of you being unable to interfere with what I'm about to do to you." Her skin tingled at the thought. Half scared and equally as intrigued. She tried hard not to show how much the way he drawled out his veiled threat excited her. But the smirk on his face would indicate he probably knew anyway. She went to make some protest about it before the words came out. He kissed her lips forcefully, catching her voice in her throat when she stopped he said against her lips. "Just. Shut. Up." 

She nodded that she would. He kissed her before biting her bottom lip enough to make her whimper about it. He kissed his way over her neck, biting near the beginning of her collar bone, again hard enough to get a reaction out of her. She inhaled through her teeth and tugged on the restraint. She struggled a bit more as his attentions turned to kissing down between her breasts, she wasn't particularly keen on the idea of a hard bite on her soft flesh. He smirked, figuring out what her renewed struggle was about. He leaned more of his weight down on her to keep her from moving about so much 

"Behave or I will make it hurt." Kitah let out a frustrated whine and kept still. He dragged his tongue over her breast nipping at her skin lightly before moving to her nipple, traced his tongue around and over it. Sucking on it. She couldn't help the soft moan that escaped her. It was at that moment he chose to grab her firm nipple between his teeth 

"Ahh! Mnnn do you have to do that!" He released her nipple from his teeth, licking over it again before blowing his breath over it. She whined as the sudden cool sensation hardened it even more. 

"...Yes." He offered her plainly before doing the same to the other. Garnering similar noises and struggles from her. He squeezed and caressed both of her tormented breasts a moment before kissing and licking down over her stomach, giving her another painful nip below her belly button. "Ah!" She tugged on the restraint. She wasn't sure what she would do to him at this point if she got loose. Not knowing if she was enjoying it or hating it. When he put his hands around her thighs and gave her a harder tug down the bed pulling her against the restraints she yelped closing her leg against him a bit. He moved down the bed further pushing her leg aside again. 

"Ah. No you don't." He caressed his hand up along the inside of her thigh and over her pussy, letting his fingers brush enough over her folds to find she was quite wet. 

"Hmm. All that complaining and whining and look at how aroused you are." She arched her head back with frustration, perhaps a little embarrassment. She sat her head upright with a quick jolt when she felt his breath torment her pussy. 

"What are you doing?!" She winced her eyes shut realising that came out a lot more concerned sounding than she wanted it to. Now that reaction got his attention. 

"What do you think I'm doing?" _Ugh! Why does he have to make me say it?_ She was already hating how he would make her say what he wanted to hear even though he knew damn well what the answer was. He gave her a firm nip to the inside of her thigh when she didn't answer. 

"Ah! I Know what you're doing that's not what I meant, I mean.." He smirked, rocking his thumb teasingly over her clit. 

"What you mean is out of those 'one maybe two' pathetic puppy love excuses for relationships you say you had that neither of them did what you think I'm going to do to you right now?"  
  


"... Exactly." She huffed out breathlessly. Pleased his smugness had saved her the torture of finding the words herself. Krennic felt quite smug about it indeed, especially having the opportunity to still have a first experience to give her.   
  
  
"Well how fortunate you missed out on that, guess you will now just have to find out what an experienced man can make you feel." He moved her legs until they rested either side of his shoulders. Kitah shivered again when she felt his breath against her pussy. When he spread her delicate folds he licked his tongue along her wet slit. Immediately she bucked. She gasped back through her teeth. She couldn't believe how different that felt. He put his arm on the inside of her thigh and held her down a bit so she didn't buck so forcefully until she got used to it at least, he went back to the same motion of letting his tongue lick slowly over her slit, pressing closer to her clit. Kitah bit her lip to suppress the moan from the feeling. Krennic was rather amused as she kept trying to stifle her sounds. He had no resistance at all when he slid two fingers inside her she was so wet. 

"Mnnn!" Lip biting be damned she couldn't keep that sound in. He let his tongue lash over her clit, whined bucking against the weight he held her down with. "Please... do that again..." He obliged with a matching thrust of his fingers, pressing his tongue against her clit with a firmer pressure, continuing to lick at her hungrily. Kitah pulled hard against the belt whimpering with frustration. Exactly like he had expected her to do. He pulled his fingers from her, licking her taste from them, then returning his tongue to the long strokes as before. Only now he didn't stop at her clit. He included attention to it in each torturous stroke. He pressed his tongue into her replacing the emptiness left by his fingers. 

"Stars! Gnnnn!" Rather than bucking at him uncontrollably she arched off the bed giving him more access to her wanton pussy. Better he thought and released some of the downward pressure off her. He moved his attentions back to her clit, sliding his fingers back into her when he was met with a whine of complaint. Said whine didn't last long when he went from licking at her clit to sucking on it "Ah! Oh stars .. D... Do that again!" Oh if she could only see that smirk on his face, he obliged. Hungrily sucking at licking at her clit. She arched up more. He nipped at her bud thrusting his fingers deeper. She lost that composure she had for a fleeting moment. 

"Fuck! Gnn... " She didn’t seem like the kind to even have that word in her vocabulary. But it couldn't have been a bad curse, that much he figured as he did it again. She shook her head back and forth moaning. He lapped at her juices feeling her quiver. His tongue went back to lashing at her it. She whimpered feeling her climax build from the blissful torture. He knew that. He nipped at her clit again. "Gnn stars you stop that!" She told him off desperately. Every time he did it it was almost too much for her. He pressed just the tip of his tongue against her clit. Enough to make her whimper as she teetered on the edge of her climax, it was at that moment he did stop. Ceased the thrusts of his fingers and stilled his tongue. 

"Ruuugh... Please don't do that to me..." She whined at his cruelty. He resumed his actions just enough to bring her back to that edge again, pulling his fingers almost all the way from her before slowly pressing them deeply back into her. When she was moments from climaxing again he stopped his tongue, drawing his fingers from her as before. 

"Argh you bastard don't you do this to me! Don't be so fucking cruel!" He stayed still. As hot as her frustrated threats were, that wasn't what he wanted. She inhaled trying a different approach "Please... please Orson, finish me. Let me come. Don't keep leaving me on edge like this..." She was so desperate tears even welled in the outer corners of her eyes, one escaping down her cheek. Oh yes that would do nicely. He could scantly remember the last time someone had begged him so well.

He did give her clit a harder grab between his teeth than before. She nearly screamed about it. He pressed a third finger into her pussy thrusting deeper than before. Sucking hard on her clit rubbing his tongue firmly against her. This time he let her orgasm crash over her. She did scream. Screamed quite loud at that. He withdrew his fingers from her pushing her leg wider apart so he could easily lick at her sweet tasting juices, gushing from her climax. When he pulled himself up over her again he offered her the fingers he'd tortured her with. She licked them clean of the evidence of her arousal 

"Now see. If I'd left you loose you wouldn't have let me do that to you without. Interruption." He kissed her before she could even get a word out. He tasted of her. Kitah couldn't believe found the whole thing somewhat erotic; more than she thought she would, he had once again made that slight sensation of shame crawl over her every bit as much as he had. Shame at enjoying something so much, though it was less of a feeling than the other day. She licked his lips and mouth clean of her taste. When he was done he moved out of her immediate reach. 

"I think....you provided enough interruptions... Of your own..." Kitah ground out still breathless. He reached up and undid the buckle and untwisted the leather off her, the red welts on her wrists proof of how much she had struggled. He lifted one of her rubbed raw wrists to his mouth and kissed it.   
  


  
"But that my dear... Is what you get for lying in the middle of this bed like you own it." He pulled her over on her side by her wrist then giving her a smack on her arse. "Now move over. Your side is the side where you keep hitting your head on the lamp." She yelped as his hand stung. She shuffled over to 'her' side. "Oh no not quite that far away." He cautioned before snaking his arm over her chest and cupping one of her breasts, her nipple still firm against his palm. He curled his leg over hers. Holding her still while his other hand came to rest over her still sensitive pussy, she whimpered in his grip. More so when he rested his middle finger between her still slick folds. She mewled feeling him nip at her shoulder.   
  
His embrace was utterly possessive. Something she felt she would have to get accustomed to.   
  


* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 🎵[2WEI - Toxic](https://youtu.be/yL7IRngzIdk)
> 
> * Rendili StarDrive is a real company mentioned in Catalyst, they had representatives on the Republic's strategic advisory cell. Hence why some of their employees are read into the secrecy of the battle station. Not its true purpose of course. 
> 
> * I have written Krennic with strong "Narcissistic personality traits" as opposed to a complete irredeemable narcissist, because he clearly is. But he would also be "impossible" to work with if I wrote him as such.
> 
> * No I don't have anything specifically against redheads lol.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not that it specifies in exact detail, but this chapter starts at least a couple of months after the end of the last one. Perfectly safe to read at wor.. * double checks* yes. Still safe.

* * *

_  
“Don't open it are you mad?” “What do you mean don't open it?” “You want to die boy? Wait until it's clear.” “Me die? what about her?” “Just have the medic droid ready.”_  
  


Kitah shot up straight in bed, she groaned and blinked utterly exhausted. She had stayed up as late as she could manage and Krennic still had not returned, he did say that he would be back that night. It wasn’t the first time he had failed to return when he said he would, a few months into her house arrest she realised this was a normal thing. Once he was gone for over a week. Without saying much about where he went or why. Her only interactions during those times was when someone brought her meals, cooking for herself was something she found herself missing. But that small kitchenette in Krennic's quarters was barely suitable to make a cup of caf in. She thought once to herself how nice it was that he made sure someone fed his... pet ... while he was gone. Technically a detainee not a pet. But not much difference sometimes. 

If anything did feel like an actual punishment it was when she was locked up in her gilded cage by herself, his company while erratic could be quite enthralling especially when he was in a sharing mood for his accomplishments. He had asked her opinion on some of his work, while what he would let her in on was somewhat mundane she still appreciated him asking even if he was merely humouring her. Krennic had also lifted the ban on his personal office after a few weeks when he had removed anything sensitive that he didn't want her looking at. She made use of studying the materials he had there. Sure there was a lot of data on architecture and design in general. But the technical manuals she guessed were from a training facility that detailed just about every weapon in use from the Republic through to the Empire now she found those fascinating and absorbed them quite liberally.

  
  


She wasn't sure what time she had fallen back asleep, but she was pleasantly surprised that when she woke up to find he was sitting up in bed reading a data pad. "Those black circles under your eyes are certainly an indication of your lack of sleep." She rubbed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose. She had not even considered how she must have looked. She then shrugged and moved a bit closer to him.

  
"It gets strange and lonely in here. Gets uncomfortable and hard to sleep." She didn't bother to detail him on why that was exactly.

  
He scoffed, pulling her closer. "It is still technically your prison cell. That makes it a lot more comfortable than any other one you would be in. Just because I have been enjoying your company doesn't mean I've forgotten what got you into my graces in the first place. Or I should say, has kept you there." She nodded. He was right. She was still no closer to figuring out how to fix what she had done and get those credits back to where they belonged somehow.

  
"I know. Though you do quite like having me under your thumb a bit I feel."

  
"Of course I do." He was shameless as ever. She gave her eyes a slight roll and kissed his cheek regardless. He handed her the data pad he was reading. Followed by her glasses.   
  
  
"You really should look into a more advanced solution to that problem." She took them and put them on sitting up cross-legged looking at the data pad 

"No thank you. Quite happy to stay like this if you don't mind. The thought of someone messing around with my eyes is unnerving, something could go wrong. I end up totally blind and then I'll need cybernetics and I've heard that it's just not the same as real vision... blurry or not. So what's this anyway?" She scrolled through the information.

"Well I had considered while I was away that you perhaps deserved a little freedom given your cooperation; not off this station of course. But at least out of here. It's a security clearance and confidentiality agreement. You need to read it, it's a little more in depth than the one you would have been covered under by StarDrive. Complete the included tests to see that you won't get yourself killed and know enough about what you're doing. Agree to the confidentiality clause... If you do then I'll see what can be done about you getting a bit of freedom. Let's say for good behaviour or services rendered. Your choice." She looked it over. Considering the implications he raised her eyes to his.  
  


"You actually trust me not to run off or something?" He tilted his head and she could barely see one of those vaguely threatening grins of his fleetingly before his features straightened.   
  


"Oh I know what a smart girl you are. You know if you did busy as I am; I'd personally make time to hunt you down and the end result of that when I find you would make what you've been doing for the past few months seem like a pleasure cruise on Cantonica." His tone was serious and a bit cruel. It reminded her that Krennic could have vengeful tendencies amongst his narcissistic ones and that she was perfectly fine and safe around him so long as she flew within the navigation lines so to speak.

  
"I wasn't thinking of it Orson I was just curious as to if you trusted me."  
  
  
"You're asking if I trust an embezzling traitor? Hmm what an amusing concept." He leaned over, lifted her chin with his finger and kissed her. "Maybe one day." He left her to dwell on that and the data pad as he got up. She did little to cover that morose sigh at him leaving so early after only just returning. Watching him get ready she figured he surely got hardly any sleep as usual. "When you're finished with the tests send the data through to my duty office. Assuming you want to, that is." She was absorbed in reading it, holding her chin in thought she just nodded. She waved him off with her other hand indicating that she had heard him. Krennic left without saying another word to her. He felt it was likely she might even decline the offer given the sort of mood she seemed to be in.

  
His day was reasonably uneventful. Things usually were whenever he returned from checking on the progress of the weapon. He wanted it done and finished before Tarkin found some other way or excuse to trip him up or undermine him. The door to his office swished open. His neutral mood soured almost immediately and he didn't care if it showed on his features. He had almost forgotten about his irritating shadow. 

  
"What do you want? Think carefully and hope that it is important." The red haired apprentice was overly pleasant as usual but had not pulled any more desk sitting attempts since he roared at her those months ago. 

"Oh sorry sir, not too important. Just some items that came up while you were gone and some test submissions for my studies. You have to go over them."

  
He exhaled "So I do." She handed him the data cards she had brought in. Again she hovered there for a few moments. He looked up and leaned back in his chair "What do you want now?"

  
"Oh. I don't want anything. Just don't forget it is Empire day in a couple of months sir! I've heard that there will actually be a celebration ball aboard this very station for it. Won't that be exciting." He couldn't believe that she was going on about such a thing in the first place much less something that was too far away for him to have even considered until this crazy woman brought it up.   
  
  
"Isn't this the kind of talk best left for the mess hall or some other time and place?" _To some other person.  
_

  
She laughed "Oh I guess it would be but I'm just making conversation. Can't have this conversation with you anywhere but here since you always disappear so quickly from your office at the end of shift and are of course not going to spend time with the rest of us in our mess are you sir." He was going to have her hauled in for a mental health capacity assessment. 

  
"Do you have some sort of point you are trying to get to?" She fidgeted with and straightened her uniform absently, rocking back and forth on her feet amongst other incessant movements. He hated that. He was glad he had put a stop to similar fidgeting as once performed by his...guest.

  
"Oh well I was just wondering if you had considered going and if you were do you have someone to go with? I mean I can see why you wouldn't, you are always so busy and.."

  
"...And it is none of your business if I choose to go to such a thing alone." He had no intention of going alone. Not this time.

  
"Oh well I um, what I meant was. If you needed someone to go with I guess I could go with you." He was rubbing his fingers together with annoyance. He wasn't going to let himself snap. Not today, it was just too damn soon after returning to be irritated.

  
"Well, thanks for the consideration but it is totally unnecessary. Now if you don't mind I'll start to grade this work." She amazingly for once picked up on the cue to leave.

  
"Oh yes. Well thank you sir." She quickly turned on her heels and left. Almost skipping down the corridor. _He had said thank you! Thank you to her for asking if he had someone to go with. Sure he said no but that was probably because he was too proud to say otherwise._ She would just have to keep approaching him over it for the next month or so, she already had a nice dress picked out since he was bound to say yes at some point. Finally he was starting to realise she had forgiven him for yelling at her. 

  
Krennic rubbed his fingers together for a few moments more after she left. Brushing the data cards aside onto his 'do it later' pile. He did note a blinking notification on his personal datapad though. "So she did fill it out." Now that was something he wanted to look at and spent the next hour doing just that.

  
It was getting late, Kitah was in Krennic's office looking through his library again looking for the next item to keep herself amused. She had read more than half of it already. She saw a holobook she wanted to read on the top shelf. She stood on her tiptoes to reach it pawing at it with the tips of her fingers, the shirt she had on barely covered her arse as she did so. 

  
  
"Oh please do that again." Krennic drawled out from the doorway Kitah let out a shriek almost pulling the shelf down as she stumbled back and landed on said arse.

  
"Stop doing that!!" She snarled at Krennic who once again had gotten in without her hearing him. Did she really get so absorbed in things? Of course he made no effort to not scare the living starlights out of her. He walked over and effortlessly plucked the holobook off the shelf she was clutching at. She was still on the floor and blew some strands of her hair out of her face when he crouched down to her.   
  


"Did you actually just yell at me?" She couldn't read his tone. But nodded sheepishly. He looked at the holobook she was trying to get down. "I would have once thought this too advanced for the likes of you. Until today when you sent me those test results through. You should have been in the futures program like I was. Not that it existed by time you were old enough to entertain the idea and had you also not been buried in that filthy hell hole of Corellia." She never considered herself particularly gifted just tenaciously curious about how things worked.   
  
  
"You're not mad?"

  
"About what? You screaming at me? No. Was amusing in this case actually. But don't make a habit of it." He stood and offered her a hand up. He put the holobook on his desk and pulled her out of his office. She made some noise of complaint. "It's down now you can read it any time. I have some other items that might interest you." He pointed to the bedroom. "Off you go then." She sighed wondering what he was getting at but went there as encouraged. He followed her in but stopped to remove some of his uniform. She noted that on the corner of the bed was a uniform. Not like the one she was reluctant to wear at StarDrive but a black Imperial one. How did he even get in here and then to his office without her hearing him. Maybe she was going deaf too.   
  


"Is this.."

  
"For you? Yes. If you want to get out of here you can't do it in that unfashionable evening dress. Or one of my shirts. As interesting as that would be." He reached in his pocket and took out a few things. She glanced over her shoulder. He took her hand and turned it palm up putting a single tile rank insignia into it "I can only pull so many strings in one afternoon. So cadet will have to do for you right now. Considering you are technically still working for Rendili StarDrive who are under private contract for the Empire it is feasible." He also gave her back her identity card "That has been updated to reflect your new... assignment." She tilted her head and looked at it.   
  
  
"Oh so you have had my purse ever since that night?" He nodded 

  
"You didn't need it at the time. You still don't." She put the insignia and ID card on top of the uniform. 

"Is that everything?" He was thinking for a moment before he took out one of the code cylinders from his tunic and went to hand it to her. She reached for it and he pulled it back. "Ah. Pay attention. This is very serious." She pulled her hand back and nodded. "You know what this is don't you?" He truly hoped he wasn't about to make a mistake.

  
"Yes. It's a restricted area or access code cylinder."

  
"Good girl. This one's for here and my duty office. I swear if you lose this, give it away or do anything else untoward with it I will have you shot. Do you still want it?" If she was caught with it and it was checked into that she got it from him she would most definitely end up in prison or worse. Krennic on the other hand could get anything from a severe lecture to a demotion if Tarkin got involved. She could tell he was very serious indeed. 

"Yes. You can trust me with it Orson. But won't someone wonder where yours has gone?" He put it in her hand. 

"I'll put a blank one in there tomorrow. No one will be the wiser." He tapped the remaining one before removing his tunic. "This one has the same and a lot more access on it than that one does. Obviously I go to more restricted places than my office or my quarters." She looked over the cylinder in her hand as he added. 

  
"Try not to let anyone see you use it, with the exception of my guards of course. It will just require me to do a lot of explaining I'd rather not do."

  
"Your guards?"

  
"You don't think I'm just going to let you walk right out that door unattended do you? I won't have one of them stand right on top of you. Just follow at a respectable distance. I can only assume you will get lost on this station at least once."

  
"Are you sure it's just about me getting lost?"

  
"I think I am being generous enough to put a modicum of trust in you right now so I would not go down that 'don't I trust you' line of conversation..." She cut him off before he got annoyed at her questioning his generous gesture. She stroked his cheek and kissed him. 

  
"Thank you Orson. You didn't have to do this for me I know."

  
"Better. Keep that tucked on the inside of that tunic." He reached over and pulled back the double breasted closure. There was a small pocket in there probably meant for a datapad stylus but it would suffice to hide a code cylinder she wasn't supposed to have. She tucked it safely in there. Picking the uniform up and putting it on the side table. He sat down to take his boots off. 

  
"I do hope you got me some of those." She pointed at his, Krennic scoffed at her gesture.

  
"By the door. What do you take me for?"  
  
  
"Technically my commanding officer I am most certain." He leaned his elbow on his knee and looked up at her.   
  
  
"Now what makes you think I put myself down as your superior hmm?" He tried to seem surprised at her assumption.  
  


"Because, you can't help yourself. You would love to tell me what to do and know I can't actually say no about it."

  
"I do anyway. I'm starting to wonder if I should get rid of you. I think you're getting to know me too well."

  
"Hmm I am sure your lovely red headed friend would love to replace me." Krennic snarled his features at the thought. 

  
"She's not in the same sector as lovely. Not in the slightest, especially when compared to you." She picked up his boots and dropped them in the closet eyeing him as he lay back; clearly tireder than he looked. Kitah crawled back up onto the bed beside him. 

  
"Hmm but you did sleep with her."

  
"Ah." He corrected holding up a finger. "I fucked her, just once and now regret it immensely. I don't believe I can recall a single woman besides this one that I truly wish I had just chosen to restrain myself as opposed to scratch a stress induced itch with."

  
"Oh but you have fucked me too." Kitah grabbed him gently by the wrist of the hand he had raised making his point. She undid the stud on his glove and kissed his wrist before she took it off. She motioned for his other hand and he gave it to her whereupon she undid and removed the glove off that side as well. Krennic inhaled for a moment enjoying the feel of her hands against his, so petite next to them.

  
"Yes I have and unlike her I've done so repeatedly. I've also slept with you and I'll even go so far as to say I've made love to you in these months and I intend to keep doing so. None of the above she will ever get to do and it will be unlikely I'll let anyone else get to that stage any time soon." Kitah encouraged him to sit up so she could undo and take his shirt off while listening to him talk, something she found she could do at length; enjoying the way he spoke in that accent she was yet to place. She considered asking him why no one else straight up. But what he said was still sinking in, so she asked something slightly different.

  
"You asked me a while ago as to why I was alone. I answered so I am now posing the same question to you." He could have always chosen not to answer her. But he didn't really see a reason not to. He got up and kicked the rest of his clothes off before turning the lights off apart from the infamous reading lamp. She took off the shirt she had on tossing it over the chair next to the bed. When he did get in the bed himself he lifted his arm to let her nuzzle close to him as she often did when she got the opportunity. 

  
"I am alone because I drank too much and partied too excess in my youth. I suppose I must have looked alright in my younger days. Never had much problem falling into that trope of being a womaniser even back then." He noticed she had that coy grin on her features. "What?" He pulled some of her hair that was within his reach. 

  
"Oh nothing. It's not like you don't know I think you still look alright now... But um.. continue." Of course he knew by now what she thought of him, but he was vain and never got sick of hearing it. 

  
"Then I joined the military and got a need for the rush of success and approval, it's just become like a drug to me I guess."

  
"Somehow I guess you did those too along with your excessive lifestyle."

  
"Oh don't you worry I did. So I had even less time for something meaningful as I focused on my career. I guess at that time I should have been thinking of long term relationships. I was only focused on my success and how to get it. After a while it occurred to me I never really had an interest in being a family man. I still don’t and of course that usually deters most women after a serious long term relationship and even if they claim it doesn't deter them, eventually they realise it actually does." Kitah realised she was quiet for a few seconds longer than she would have liked after that statement.

  
"So you've really managed to avoid a long term relationship all this time?" She found it hard to believe. She had known men far more obnoxious than him who had somehow found themselves married to people she considered decent. Several of her former co-workers sprang to mind.

  
"Mostly, the last thing that was close to long term was about eighteen months. In the end she told me I was too obsessed with my work and was altogether insufferable on account of all my other vices that she had tried in vain to make me give up; more for her sake than mine. I treated her terribly according to her and some others." Kitah felt she knew what that was about, his narcissistic traits that he would never admit to. She kissed him on his chest near where her head was resting.

  
"Oh I do agree with whoever she was you are most definitely nigh insufferable at times."

  
He scoffed "Only nearly?"  
  
  
"Haven't chosen a prison hulk over your company yet remember." He teased at her hair. 

  
"Don't fret. You won't be stuck with my affections forever. I'll eventually set you free from your obligations after what I feel is an appropriate amount of time served for your crime. Won't be that long. You're still young. You don't have to make a mess of your personal life by making the same mistakes as me. In that sense. I know you're obsessed with your work. But you should lift your head out of it just long enough find someone to have a family with and all that baggage like other women want to do."

  
“I guess.” She said with little enthusiasm. Now that was more than twice he had mentioned family life to her in the time he had known her and each time he was met with a similar apathetic reaction. He made a mental note of it this time. 

  
"I Wouldn't start planning your welcome home party just yet. Not after the amount of credits you stole girl." She swatted at that bothersome lamp turning it off. 

  
"Wouldn't dream of it."

* * *

  
  


Kitah complained with a groan as she pulled the sheets back up over her head. 

  
"You wanted out of here. Getting up at the same time as I usually have to comes with that. Perhaps I have been far too lenient with you for these months letting you stay there as I've left." She rolled over stubbornly flicking the sheet off her. Though she knew her nakedness was unlikely to save her. Krennic was far too business like in the mornings for those sorts of antics she had come to notice. 

"I feel you get up way too early... In my opinion anyway." She said with a yawn. He looked at her and shook his head.

"You would make a terrible officer, you know that. Get up before I make you." She did wonder what part of make her he meant. But she reminded herself again he was not a fun and games morning person. She picked up the uniform he had gotten for her as well as her undergarments that she hadn't really had much cause to wear. She also didn't like taking the risk with that uncooperative sonic washer. Now if there was something she wanted to pull apart to make work better it was that menace of a device, or maybe she just wanted to pull it apart in general. She felt so strange putting on a uniform again. She did up her belt in the usual not too tight way she used to have it when she used to wear a uniform and put her hair back comfortably with a tie. When she turned around she saw Krennic, who aside from his cape and boots was neatly polished as usual for him every day giving her a disapproving gaze. 

"Really? I can see now that you really aren't used to wearing a uniform at all." He snapped his fingers and pointed in front of him. "Come here." She looked over herself; she couldn't see what the problem was but walked to where he pointed "You look like you slept in this." He lifted her chin up and did up the top clip of her collar. She never used to do that up. He also found a clip on her tunic she had missed. _Slept in it?_ She didn't think it looked as bad as that. 

But she guessed to him and how much he cared about his appearance... Slept in it was as good an approximation as any. He undid the buckle on her loose belt putting two fingers inside the leather to set the tension then tightening it properly. "You are not some overstuffed politician. No need to have your belt as loose as one. You are not wandering around a filthy ship hangar, you are not going to get hot walking around this station. The opposite is more than likely. So no need to leave your collar or any other things undone."

  
She looked down at what he had done "I guess..." The tightness of the belt actually gave her a waist that she wasn't used to seeing in a uniform.

  
"Turn around..." He said in his authoritative tone. Kitah thought he meant turn around so he could see the back as well but when she turned he grabbed her hair and tugged her a few steps back towards the refresher.

  
"Ow! Ow…Orson what are you doing.... Ouch.." He pulled the tie out of her hair keeping a firm grip on her. She hissed when she felt the sting of a metal comb against her scalp. 

  
"Normally I do appreciate your hair's wild appearance Kitah but unless you want it cut short like all the other enlisted females on this station you better keep it as controlled looking as possible because I would hate to not have it to hang onto for certain... Occasions." He kept a tight grip on her hair much to her complaint, stinging her scalp possibly more than necessary with that comb before replacing the tie.  
  


"Gnn alright ... " She held her head with a whimper, finishing by twisting it into a bun hoping that would satisfy. He turned her around to face him again. 

  
"If you want people to pay attention to you, you need to take pride in your appearance. When you don't stutter, or fidget or any of those other irritating things you used to do you could be quite authoritative." She didn't see why she had to be like that. A soft sigh of exasperation escaping her lips.

  
"I don't want people to pay attention to me though. Authoritative? What for? I don't have to command anyone... You just told me not ten minutes ago that I'd make a terrible officer."

  
"I want to pay attention to you. That will do for now. As for being authoritative... You clearly have no idea what a beautiful woman can accomplish when she's confident about herself." She shook her head, she wasn't quite invested in what he was telling her yet. Maybe she could think up a use for this so called authoritative manner he was trying to instil in her. He stepped into his boots and plucked his cape off the hangar, put it over his shoulders.

  
"May I? I mean since I'm up for a change..." She smirked offering to clip it on his collar. 

  
"So long as you don’t plan on making impromptu changes to my appearance out of spite for what I just did to yours." She laughed softly and shook her head. 

  
"Of course not. I wouldn't make it to the door in time to save myself." She brushed his shoulders down when she was done before she went out looking for her own boots. Krennic narrowed his eyes at her when she walked off.

  
"No, you wouldn't." He growled under his breath when she was out of earshot.

  
She pulled the boots on noting how well they fitted. He must have stolen the size out of her heels she had for the party, wherever they were now. She also noted they were very shiny. Best keep them that way. She brushed her uniform down again when she stood up. She would never admit it but she now actually felt pretty good to be back in one and even more that she wouldn't admit she was not unhappy with Krennic's adjustments to her appearance. That was all fine until it actually came time to leave his quarters when she remembered that on the other side of that door were Krennic's guards. She froze. He turned on his heel back to face her glancing up with a half roll of his eyes. 

  
"What is the matter with you now?"

  
"Your guards out there, are they the same ones that have probably heard me scream about certain things over these past couple of months?" He made a half grin biting his bottom lip realising her embarrassment.  
  


"Yes. But they won't care. Even if they did care they're too disciplined to show it."

  
"That does not make me feel better Orson." He strode over to her and walked behind her and gave her a firm shove by her shoulders in the direction of the door. 

  
"Are you embarrassed about what I do to you? The way I can make you scream hm? Because I'm not." Of course he wouldn't be. He was too shameless for that. If anything he would brag about it. 

  
"You should feel privileged not embarrassed. Just walk past and ignore them. Also you best get yourself back into the habit of calling me either Sir or Director outside this door cadet." Kitah nodded conceding she would just have to get over her concerns. He opened the door and walked straight out like he usually did and she followed.  
  


* * *

  
  
Kitah inhaled following Krennic through the corridors of the spotless station. When it was finished it would be amazing. Totally capable of establishing a base in the far reaches of the galaxy. Krennic noticed she had her hand down by her side tapping her finger on her leg. "And what's this about?" He motioned to her hand. Predisposed to certain tics of his own he found it curious . She looked down at her hand "Oh, that's nothing I'm just counting doors and corridors. Helps me not get lost, I mean amongst other things I count for, calculations and what not. But I'm not going to ask a trooper every two minutes where I am." Of course her confidence in not getting lost started to get shaky several long sections of corridor and many turbo lift rides later. He smirked, noting her silence after a while. 

  
"I am sorry cadet, what was that you said about not getting lost?"

  
She exhaled at his smugness as they exited the latest turbo lift. "Maybe, just maybe I underestimated the complexities of the station sir. Guess it would not harm me to ask for the occasional direction."  
  


He scoffed unapologetic at her observation. Complexity was an understatement. Telling her about its true capabilities to gloat, while tempting was not wise. He let her continue to think it was a modest battle station. Being confined for so long made it easy for her to forget just how huge the station was. Of course the more endless identical corridors she saw the more daunted she got. Kitah was quite in awe of his office, though she felt clearly half his day was taken up just by walking there and back. Unsurprisingly initially she was more excited over new holobooks she hadn't seen before. Then several view ports which drew her attention away from the shelves she was eyeing. Kitah could certainly say in the few months she had been confined to his quarters much more of the station had been completed. She remembered that guests and private contractors had only been permitted in very specific sections due to sections that were still open to space. She also didn't remember there being nearly as many ships gathered outside. 

  
"I've only ever seen this many Star Destroyers in one place when I was working for Kuat Drive Yards. Of course they're far more impressive out in space." She could see the distant blue hue of Scarif's upper atmosphere. She would very much like to go to Scarif's surface one day. She heard it was beautiful and the brief look she got when coming to the station just wasn't enough. Whatever position the station was currently in was clearly not one that enabled a view of the planet of atolls. Kitah saw Krennic's reflection over her shoulder. 

  
"Why on Coruscant didn't you just remain at Kuat instead of that dreadful place you are at now? Is your creative freedom worth working under an incompetent superior who relegates you to demeaning activities such as trying to bat your eyelids at an officer to encourage more work from the Empire?" Kitah shrugged not turning away from the view port, she had a reason for leaving she would rather not discuss if she could get away with it. Her old superior and their constant unwanted advances that was. Though she didn't like to lie to him she chose to just omit a part of the truth 

  
"I wanted to stay in research and development there and there were no positions available. By no positions available they meant no positions for someone so young, someone with no formal education. Basically no position for some poor teenager from Corellia. Of course that didn't stop some of my colleagues from trying to steal designs I had come up with on my own for the department anyway. So I left. Took them all with me. Sure, where I am now takes things I do as well, but I do not leave designs out in plain sight. I'd rather not lose and at least Rendili StarDrive gave me a chance at what Kuat would not."

  
He seemed to buy her reasoning. He turned around and went back to his desk and began looking through reports that had come through since the day before so he could delegate them to departments as necessary. Every day it just reminded him how vital it was that he succeed in getting Galen to finish the primary weapon or all this mind numbing busywork that came with being commander of the station would be for nought. He wanted it finished as much as the Emperor did. Even if his reasons were different to that end. 

  
"Most ironic that you are concerned with things being stolen from you cadet. You possibly should have just joined the Imperial military then. Girl of your talents could have gone far." Least it showed he was paying attention to her when he never missed an opportunity to have an ironic dig at her situation. 

  
"You might recall that I never actually intended for that to get found out. That part of my plans is probably funded by the part of my brain that you would not let alphabetise a storage room. I always intended to finish what I was working on, and put the credits back before anyone was the wiser. I was just interrupted... Mostly by you." He glanced across at the door before he spoke again not wanting someone to walk in on certain parts of their conversation. 

  
"That is still embezzlement my dear and why you are here...assisting me."

  
She looked away from the view port. "I wish I actually was you know." Krennic was loading some datacards into his datapad answering her absently. 

  
"Wish you were actually what?" 

  
"Working on this station. In an actual capacity for the Empire not to come and check on a few things that my co workers were doing on day trips. Of course I would have had to have joined the military for that. Heh this thing will be finished by time I even got through the academy." He finished making copies of the data cards. 

  
"Perhaps. It would be completed if by my standards alone. But there is no accounting for the setbacks caused by fools. Nonetheless, you can assist. I need these taken to section commanders as listed on the cards. Consider it an education in learning how not to get lost on this station." She gave him a bit of a stunned look. This was not the kind of assisting she had in mind. 

  
"Really? An errand? You actually seriously want me to do that kind of work? Well I'll get lost for sure." Folding her arms in playful resistance. He grasped her forearm unwinding her hands and sliding his grip down to her palm and placing the cards into her hand. 

  
"Yes. Of course I expect you to work while you are here. It is part of our accord. I think you have had it just a little too good all these months. Hmm Kitah?" He let his gloved hand linger on hers a moment before he let go. Kitah let out a half defeated; half flustered sigh at giving into his manipulation with so little complaint. 

  
"Alright, alright. Errand girl it is... And I avoid getting lost on the behemoth of a construct how?" He opened his office door and summoned one of his troopers. 

  
"Oh your new shadow will help you avoid getting lost I am sure." He looked at the trooper. "You will follow her. Assist her to find the department commanders listed on the cards. Then watch her from a distance. No need to stand on top of her. Understood?" The black clad trooper nodded. 

  
"Yes sir Understood." Krennic turned to Kitah, a smug grin barely suppressed. While he had grown to trust her in some capacity he wasn't in any way ready to give her greater trust especially outside his quarters just yet.

  
"There. Now get on with it before it gets too late in the day. Oh and cadet it probably would not hurt for you to share some version of the truth of how you came to be here. Since I have already made notes in the records that you are indeed private sector assigned to this project. You're welcome to say I am assisting you with your work. Anything to that effect should anyone loyal to Tarkin go prying into things they shouldn't. Wouldn't want them finding out why you're working right under my nose now would we.” She understood completely and nodded. 

  
"As you wish, Director sir." She turned and followed the trooper out. Krennic licked his bottom lip thoughtfully watching her go. Oh if only she knew how good she looked in that uniform he mused to himself, probably just as well she had never joined the military in an official capacity she might actually be dangerous.

  
Cassar glared none to subtlety at the cadet that left Director Krennic's office following the trooper. _Was she new?_ She looked new and obviously she didn't know her way around the station. She could only imagine the frustration Director Krennic must be feeling at having to use one of his own guards to shepherd some inexperienced cadet around. She had best go see if she could ease his burden. Besides she had completed work to hand in. He of course would have expeditiously graded the previous ones. Krennic immediately tensed when his painful apprentice made her appearance. 

  
"Director sir. I am sorry. Am I late? I didn't think I was. Was that young cadet doing the department rounds?" He glanced over the holographic schematics hovering above his desk. 

  
“You are not. I chose to give someone else the task. Simple as that. It is not a task exclusive to you." She poorly hid her disappointment. "Well sir did you get a chance to grade my assignments?" Krennic had totally forgotten to do it as a matter of fact. He had been much too intrigued by Kitah's high test scores and concerned himself with getting her an official security clearance among other things.  
  
  
"Actually I did not. I assume you have more for me?" To be perfectly honest he found her assignments to be vague and uninspiring. He gave her the most basic of pass marks each time. He had long given up giving her pointers as he felt she was not even concentrating. _It's okay, he's very busy. But he's concerned for your education or he wouldn't ask you for more work. He obviously wants to take extra time to be thorough. Being saddled with some new cadet is clearly taking his time away from you._

  
"Oh.. yes. Yes sir I do. It will probably make things easier for you to mark it all together sir." She tried to hand him the datacards for her completed work directly. He glared for a moment tapping his finger on the desk refusing to take them from her.

  
"I do not need you concerning yourself with making anything easier for me. If I need you to do something I'll give you an order. You have your other set duties, go see to them since you have no other reason to be hovering over me." He wasn't avoiding looking at her, he just couldn't be bothered with her. He assumed for a while that Tarkin had stuck her right under his nose so she could report his every move. Of course he had entertained the idea that she had been throwing herself at him just to get a promotion. Of course when he decided he would scratch a quick itch with her he figured she would tattle to Tarkin which would lead to her getting removed and another lecture that he would tune out. But no. She had to go on and on like it meant something. Obviously Tarkin did not warn her about what he was like when it came to women who caved to his needs when they were hoping to get something further in exchange.

  
"Yes sir. Well if you need any help with the new cadet I could show her around for you...." 

_  
Absolutely no chance._ If she was still a mole for Tarkin that was a definite no. It was also a definite no on the basis that it would give her an excuse to hang around him even more when he had done nothing but give her the hint for months he did not want her to do anything except her fucking duty and leave him the hell alone. 

  
"Dismissed Cassar." She made some kind of annoyed child like huff and turned and left. She initially stormed out of Krennic's office. Taking it upon herself to check with the department heads if the cadet had successfully delivered the datacards. 

  
Captain Brayken checked his chrono, just after dismissing a few of his own cadets. It was about time for his day to be prematurely ruined as usual by that irritating redhead Krennic would send with the work orders. Of course he was pleasantly surprised but confused when a different cadet passed his own in the corridor approaching his small office. She was about to ask to come in. But he waved her in "Please tell me that you have the work orders from Director Krennic cadet?"

  
Kitah nodded and went through the cards "Captain Brayken?" She hoped the trooper had not led her astray with his instructions.

  
"Yes." Kitah handed him the appropriate card. 

  
"I believe I am supposed to collect yesterday's as well?" He nodded and went to his workspace. 

  
"Obviously you're new to this." She resisted the urge to fidget nervously. 

  
"Yes sir. I've only just been assigned to the station. I'm a private contractor from StarDrive. Director Krennic has been assisting me with my work. He got me a posting to his department while he's been assisting me. Probably thinks I owe him a few errands for his time I guess." Captain Brayken looked her over. Most of the time if Krennic was helping someone with anything it was more of a side effect of him helping himself. 

  
"Well you can tell Director Krennic that if he wants to send you to do his errands that would be much preferred to that irritating red head that ruins my morning. Every single day. I was beginning to think he just sent her here to spite me. But here you are." Kitah suppressed the soft laugh that threatened to escape her. 

  
"I'll um. I'll let him know sir. If you don't mind me asking sir, what is it this other woman does that's so bad? So I know not to do it myself." He handed her the previous day's datacard. She took note of it and put it in a separate pocket in her uniform so she wouldn't get them mixed up. 

  
"She barges in, interrupts me. Will not wait to be seen. Like this little job that she is doing is much more important than any job any officer on this station is doing. If she has the chance she will start going on and on about how she will have her status elevated at any moment given how much the Director appreciates her work." His tone went exasperated. "Honestly I question our commander if he sees any value in her at all. But perhaps you best not share that."

  
Kitah smiled kindly "Just between you and I sir, Director Krennic can't stand that woman himself. I am sure he only gives her this job because it gets her out of his hair for a good portion of the day. If he could re-assign her I think he would. But I have quite a few hours of service to put in. I guess you could say I'll be doing this job for the foreseeable future." Captain Brayken nodded. 

  
"Well that is good news. You are dismissed then cadet." Kitah nodded and left. Brayken raised an eyebrow slightly noting she was actually being tailed at a distance by one of Director Krennic's personal guards. Interesting. But maybe not unusual, she was new to the station after all. Of course his day was immediately ruined nonetheless a short time later when Cassar had shown up almost interrogating him as to if the cadet had done a suitable job and if there were any issue to report back to the Director re her work. The Captain found it very odd. He even wondered if she was supposed to be following up, why would she even need to when Krennic had one of his own troopers assigned to the other cadet. Surely they would tell him if there was an issue. He dismissed her curtly after telling her there was nothing to report; in fact she could tell Director Krennic that she did an excellent job and that Cassar should have no worries or concerns that her task had been left in good hands.

  
The same confusion and curt answers were received from all the commanders that Enn swooped onto after Kitah had left them. Cassar stormed off into her afternoon shift not able to find anything even remotely negative; she could tattle about the cadet back to Director Krennic to impress him with her proactive investigation. Kitah had finished taking and collecting all the data cards from the assigned commanders. She wasn't sure how urgently Krennic needed the cards back as he hadn't let her know. One thing Kitah did know was she felt very out of shape having walked miles around the station she was starting to think he had done it on purpose. 

  
She had found the station to be an absolute marvel. She thought an Imperial class star destroyer was amazing the first time she saw one. This place was like a movable colony. She really wanted to see it finished and completely full of personnel. Of course there were lots of enlisted men and women and their families. Ones who were clearly going to be permanently stationed here once it was finished. The rest were workers in various capacities, some private sector like herself. Though she was yet to run into anyone from StarDrive, she was obviously not to know that Krennic had ensured their contract on the station was not renewed as a small act of vengeance for how her co-workers had treated her. His idea of a romantic gesture, not that he told her as such. It was self serving as usual.  
  
  
Kitah did feel a bit sorry for the trooper she dragged all over this sector of station that day while she took the chance to investigate everything. Of course the trooper was obviously a lot fitter than she was. She stood patiently outside Krennic's office waiting for him to finish with the meeting he was in. When the officers left she sidestepped her way into his office as the door closed behind her. She saw him close down the holodisplay of what he was working on and put down his datapad. 

  
"Well well. Don't you look a little worn out cadet.” _Was it that obvious?_ She gave him one of her coy smiles narrowing her eyes at him. Walking up to his desk she placed down a tall cup of caf and slid it over to him. He gave a questioning look at her gesture.

  
"And how would you have any idea what I look like when worn out Director?" 

  
"I hear rumours."

  
He picked up the still hot beverage and tried it. Dubious of it initially. Any time he did bother to get it during the day it was usually awful, but he tried it since she had gone to the trouble. 

  
"Just rumours Sir? I would have thought you the kind of commander that doesn't take things on hearsay alone. Rather having to see for yourself. Perhaps you should sometime." While he was usually mean sarcastic he found Kitah's usual blend of playful sarcasm hard to chastise. "You know sir every single one of the officers you sent me to today more or less begged me to ask if you could please not send that obnoxious woman you usually send. From now on they would much prefer you to send me." He took another sip from the cup. 

  
"Where did you get this?" It was almost like he didn't hear her comment about the officers at all. She hoped he wasn't asking because there was something wrong with it. 

  
"Well the last department I went to, I was feeling a little tired so I asked if I could get some from somewhere and they pointed me in the direction of one of the better cafbars that was actually open. You know... No one told me that when they said this place was like a city I didn't think like a city complete with all those things. I passed more than one cantina today. I had no idea that this place had those! I never got to see any of that stuff when I visited on work."

  
"Heh listen to you my little charge, trying to tell me off on your very first day out. Over the past few months you've asked me every technical question about this station imaginable and I have obliged you with answers. Not one of those questions consisted of is there a decent cafbar or cantina on this station. But you know what you've added to your errand list for the day?" Kitah was almost afraid to ask, depending on how much more walking that was going to involve "No sir?" He raised the cup at her 

  
"Make sure you add bringing me one of these to your afternoon errands. Now come here." She walked around the desk thinking he had something else for her to do. He put the cup down. Without turning to her he grabbed her belt and tugged her up close to him. "I wanted to tell you this morning just how good you looked in this uniform." She tucked her hands behind her and held onto her own wrist. Not wanting to get drawn into the temptation of pawing at him. 

  
"I thought you already did tell me? Hm somewhere in your little speech about what I could accomplish with my appearance... I mean aside from distracting you." Krennic smirked at her assumption. He wasn't as easily distracted as she thought he was. He could most definitely tease her and not take advantage himself. 

  
"My dear I am not distracted. If I was, do you think you would be just standing there? You'd be down on your knees or..." She interrupted him 

  
"Bent over this desk like one of them?" He lifted her chin. 

  
"Yes. That. But I am sure you know you mean a little more to me than one of 'them' by now. Besides, it's only your first day out. I can restrain myself for now." He ran his fingers inside her belt around to her hip and let her go the moment he heard her inhale when her mind wandered. She wouldn't mind either of those things so long as he didn't bring up or compare her to certain others or any of them for that matter ever again.

  
"...For now? One would think you shouldn't have any trouble restraining yourself since you wouldn't go wanting later if you so insisted." She said quietly, a slightly flustered sound to her voice. He knew what he was doing. Probably some way of adding to her 'punishment'. 

  
"Indeed. Well you can now go and do a repeat of your little journey from this morning since you said just how popular you are and collect all this morning's completed work reports from those same departments. Maybe you won't feel quite so tired this time."

  
She nodded "I guess I can do that. Tell me sir the obnoxious person you normally get to do this job wouldn't be a certain red head now would it?" He turned the holoscreen back on and picked up the caf again. 

  
"Why do you think these jobs take almost all day to do? Now I'll have to concoct some other mindless work that keeps her away from me all day. Now you've told me how they all feel. Perhaps efficiency might increase if I stop inflicting her on them." Besides if it didn't he could always threaten to start sending her to detriment them all again.

  
When she had finished the rounds for her afternoon shift and returned to his office she walked in before she noticed Krennic was talking with his aide who she had come to know was a man by the name of Captain Dunstig Pterro, he was also Krennic's pilot and general fixer. She had stopped a few steps in and apologised for interrupting "Quite alright Cadet. The Captain was just leaving." Pterro nodded to Krennic and was indeed just leaving. 

  
He nodded to Kitah on the way past her "Cadet."

  
"Captain." She politely acknowledged. She looked at Krennic after he left "Was he really leaving or was I actually interrupting?" She felt bad if it was the former. She put the datacards down on his deck. 

  
"No no. He was actually just leaving. I'd have kept the door locked if it was a meeting I did not want you to intrude on. I'm not absent minded yet. Trust you were a bit more comfortable in your small duty by this afternoon?" She nodded before screwing up her features into a quaint snarl of irritation. Krennic found it immediately winsome. 

  
"Well yes I guess so, although a few of those commanders said that your little redheaded friend had followed around after me asking all sorts of questions as to how I was doing and if they had anything to report back to you.” Kitah somehow suspected that it would be highly unlikely that he would have sent her around to ask after her. Krennic would have learned about it all on his own if he suspected she had problems with the task.

  
"Did she now. Well I'll be very interested to hear what she has to say about you when she no doubt finds some reason to invade my office tomorrow. I am sure she will be most curious as to how I have found out what she was doing. No other issues?” Krennic was going to have to try to front Tarkin about that woman. He would just have to figure out a way to do it so it would appear that keeping her around was somehow beneficial to him. If Tarkin thought she was actually of any use to him and not detrimental to him then he would get rid of her post-haste. 

  
"I am still unsure how long it will take me to figure out where things are on my own. I think if I can get from your quarters not here without getting lost I'll consider that a huge achievement."

  
"Well don't feel like you need to figure it out in a certain time frame. You'll always have that trooper nearby should you get lost again."

  
"Always? What happened to maybe trusting me maybe one day?" He put the cards in his desk and locked it before striding up to her. She stood firmly when he put his hands on her upper arms looking down at her. 

  
"Should a time come that I trust you enough to go where you wish unsupervised... You will still be supervised as I won't be extending such trust to everyone else. You don't see me going about without my own guard do you?" Kitah shrugged 

  
"I guess. But you're a little more important to the Empire than what I am, I think Director."

  
"For now. Who knows how important you might be one day with that's up here." He tapped the top of her head "We're done here for today. Don't think that your other obligations in regards to my routine have finished just because you got out for one day." She swatted his hand away lightly 

  
“Still don't know about that and as for your routine... you absolutely don't care that I am exhausted from traipsing all over this station today do you?”

  
“Not in the slightest. If I recall you said I wouldn't go wanting later if I so insisted. It is later and I’ll insist.” She made some sort of exasperated sigh, wondering why she had even given him that little bit of ammunition. He ushered her out of his office before giving her guard the instruction to return her to his quarters via a different route than he normally took, Krennic still did not want excess attention brought to the fact he had a cadet, a private contractor what's more staying in his quarters. Fortunately the corridors were too busy that morning for anyone to take notice, before night shifts started however there were a lot less people around to blend into. Tarkin would have a fucking field day with that if it was common knowledge.  
  


* * *

  
If Kitah had just one skill that could be considered methodical it was her ability to quickly study and with that she soon learned to count all the associated corridors and floors that entailed her errands. After a bit over about a month of it she didn't have to ask the trooper assigned to her quite so often which way to go. She had increased her efficiency at the job to give herself a little more time each day to explore the more civilian type aspects of the station. She had even ventured into a cantina just to see what the ones on the station were like. Though she did not stay long as she felt uncomfortable amongst the other soldiers including off duty storm troopers. Her death trooper shadow drew some interesting looks where she went in some places. She even tried to ask him to walk a little further back. She didn't get much of a response, or compliance to her request until she asked Krennic to pass it on. 

  
Kitah soon learned she preferred to spend her excess time sitting in Krennic's office absorbing the technical manuals on various weapons in the Empire's arsenal. Holotexts she could never ever have hoped to get her hands on with her lack of formal education and not being in any position of importance that was. She sat one leg under her in a chair reading "You really have read all of these Director?"

  
Even though he was busy she really wasn't that disturbing. He glanced up from what he was doing and tapped his temple "Believe it or not I have. All up here now. This job required a great amount of extra education from what I was doing before." She finished what she was looking at and put it back on the shelf. 

  
"Oh I believe you. Especially given what I've managed to look at." She picked up another holobook, it was a selection of schematics for buildings he had worked on on Coruscant. Kitah looked over at the door to his office before getting up out of the chair armed with the architectural holotext in her hand. She approached his desk as he glanced his gaze up to hers. "Orson Callan Krennic? That's your full name? Callan? Really?" She showed him the text she had gleaned his full name from. He reclined back in his chair for a moment fully acknowledging her statement upon seeing what she had in her hand. He shrugged 

  
"Now for that I personally blame my parents and their inability to ever agree on anything of importance. My father wanted Callan, my mother wanted Orson so I do not need to elaborate as to who won that argument and what will you do with this freshly gleaned piece of information?" Kitah walked around his desk and gave him an unhindered kiss on his cheek. 

  
"I think I'll keep its use to get your attention when I am being serious."   
  


"Heh you? Serious with me? You best not develop any habit of the sort."

  
"We'll see Orson. We'll see." He grabbed the back of her neck while she was in proximity and kissed her then nipped her bottom lip. She grabbed the edge of his chair almost falling over when he grabbed her. 

  
"Director." He growled against her lips. She knew she was meant to remain formal outside his quarters but it did just slip out, but was sure she would have gotten more than a kiss and a nipped lip if he was actually upset about it. She closed her eyes a moment before she gently took his wrist and slid his sleeve up, opening them again to glance at his chrono. 

  
"I best go collect reports for you... Director." He slipped his arm away from her and back to his side

  
"Yes. You best do that... Cadet." He never wasted an opportunity to remind her that he was always in charge of their complicated little tryst. Kitah wandered over and put the text she had out away. She left to go do her afternoon rounds almost tripping over the red headed Cassar who had been skulking needlessly around in the corridor. 

  
"Oh, sorry I didn't see you there." Kitah stepped around her. Cassar huffed crossing her arms 

  
“You know what cadet it's bad enough you've been holding up the commanders with the amount of time it's taken you to figure out the routine. Then you go telling Director Krennic I was trying to get you into trouble. On top of that you are always bothering him. You would have to be the worst cadet I've ever seen. How did you ever get this position? Run along don't forget your trooper since the Director obviously thinks you need someone to constantly ask about your job!” Kitah assumed Krennic's promised bid to get rid of her was obviously not successful. Cassar glared after Kitah when she didn't bother to acknowledge her taunting. 

  
“I fail to see how you could not see me with those primitive things you wear on your face.” Cassar felt that little dig was such an achievement. Kitah wanted to respond but also felt it would be more damaging to the woman's ego if she didn't. Choosing instead to turn away and walk off before she allowed herself a roll of her eyes. Cassar angrily inhaled. What was she always doing in the Director's office? She glanced in as the door slid shut. Krennic was simply seated at his desk working. Nothing unusual going on there. She was going to have to work out the girls presence, find a way to get her into trouble and get rid of her before the Director actually did get distracted by her in other ways besides her disturbing his work and also take the opportunity to remind the Director that she was free for Empire day again, knowing he would not want to attend alone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 🎵 [Black Math - Hostage](https://youtu.be/ZHbz-ZVuKFE)
> 
> You know, it is very hard to think up "stuff" for people to do on that station. I do try to write "busy" characters like Krennic as that... busy. 
> 
> I am sure there's a whole bunch of "boring" stuff I could have found for our embezzler to do but then that would be... well. Boring. I accept easily that of course it would be feasible to have manual delivery of large amounts of work plans/data around the station i mean lets not get started on the Citadel Tower to store the equivalent of what I probably have on my Desktop HD here. Tarkin don't you look at my computer like that.  
> I have absolutely no idea how Orson Krennic actually got his name, so consider that an ad-lib rather than canon.
> 
> * The Death Star is a busy, well lived in place with a lot of provisions for those living on board it. Lets not forget there were a million+ stationed on it when it was destroyed.  
> * Yes, there were most definitely Cantina's etc. on it, I have done an unhealthy amount of research into it for this story.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just in case the tags were not specific enough, Orson Krennic is not a nice guy. He has a serious anger management problem and has terrible habits/vices for dealing with such things.
> 
> This chapter takes place approximately 1 Year before the events of Rogue One and is set during or immediately after the SW Rebels Season 4 Episode 3-4 "In the name of the Rebellion."

* * *

Kitah couldn't sleep despite a full day of Krennic's usual errands amongst others the day before. It had been a while since she wasn't able to sleep purely because something had popped into her head and she couldn't put it down. As was usual, it was like she could pull something apart in her brain and it wouldn't let her rest until she had made a physical manifestation of her idea. It was an affliction that had often left her run down and sleepless before her arrival on the station where Krennic had removed most of the need for her to focus on her work. With it safely locked down she didn't have to think so much about it and since she was scarcely troubled by nightmares since she started sharing Krennic's bed she had even less need to be awake at all hours. But this idea was something that had been rattling around in her thoughts for a while and it suddenly resolved itself in the middle of her afternoon caf break.

  
She had wanted to ask him about it but also thought he wouldn't trust her and would say no to her idea, which would then drive her crazy trying to convince him otherwise. She hoped in this case forgiveness was better than permission. Kitah slipped out of bed, tucking the sheets back up close to him so he hopefully wouldn't notice her absence. She tossed on a shirt to work in. Tentatively going to the side table where his belt and holster lay. Kitah pulled the antique blaster from it, taking it out to the couch where she fished around in the cushions for the toolkit she had acquired from one of the departments a while ago. 

  
She proceeded to expertly dissect the antique weapon over the next hour or so. Laying the parts out neatly in a methodical order, normally she wouldn't be so precise but if she didn't put it back exactly the way it was to say Krennic would be less than happy would be an understatement. All was fine and good until one of the tiny screws rolled off the table onto the floor. She was so focused on grabbing it before she lost sight of it she hit her head hard on the table. An involuntary cry of pain as well as a hiss escaped her lips. Her hand rushing to her forehead. But still she had the wayward screw grasped in her fingertips. 

  
“Gotcha.” She said quietly to the inanimate part. Just as she placed it safely on the table with the rest of the parts. Suddenly she let out a cry of fright and pain when Krennic's fist suddenly appeared in her hair, yanking her up and back into the couch cushions. Overly focused again he had managed to get there without her even noticing.

  
"Kitah... You should know by now I am never that deeply asleep. Imagine for me if you will; me waking to realise you are not there, then I find my blaster missing from its holster. Now just what exactly do you think is going through my head right now as I'd desperately like to know what's in yours." He growled into her ear and not the tone of growl she enjoyed. His lisp evident at the end of his sentence. The notion just made him wind his fingers tighter in her hair. 

  
"Ow! Ow! Ouch... Gnn Orson I would think that surely you should know by now … Ow... I'm not going to be up to anything that endangers you. I couldn't sleep... I'd thought of something a while ago that I finally figured out earlier today and couldn't let it go..." He glared at her handiwork on the table 

  
"And for this something you thought it wise to take my blaster and dissect it in the middle of the night?! I always thought you eccentric. I just never realised you were so completely insane..." Krennic couldn't really talk, he was not immune to waking up in the middle of the night with something on his mind and not being able to sleep until he had gotten it out of his system. 

  
"I'm sorry Orson. Believe me I am only trying to make minor changes to it, improvements actually. It will be back together so perfectly you will barely notice... Aesthetically at least."

  
"We'll see about that. I should drag you back to bed and punish you for this ridiculous stunt. But can't since I want my weapon back. In perfect working order. By tomorrow!" He raised his voice just short of shouting at her. He was mad, but not so mad that he wouldn't let her continue. Because if he didn't let her then he wasn't getting it back, if only he had gotten to her before she had pulled it to pieces. He tugged her head aside leaning over the couch planting a bruising bite in the crook of her neck. 

  
"Ah! Yes... Orson you will have it I promise." He let go of her hair giving her scalp a slight soothing rub with his fingertips where he had pulled on her hair harshly. 

  
"Foolish girl." He sighed and left her there and returned to his bed, feeling fortunate again for that reserve of understanding Kitah seemed to build up between his outbursts for dealing with his erratic nature and temper that flared so often out of his control.

  
Kitah had dozed off halfway through putting the blaster back together after completing her modifications. She had slumped down onto her side head on one of the cushions. The sound of Krennic roaring at the top of his lungs startling her up straighter than any nightmare. If she had been in bed she was sure she would have collected that damn lamp and fallen on the floor.

  
"WHAT??! WHAT DO YOU MEAN IT WAS DESTROYED?!   
….  
NO. No. No, I don't want the details NOW.  
….  
You tell me the rest in my office and you be there in fifteen minutes.  
….  
Yes fifteen minutes are you deaf?  
….  
Do you think I care if you have to run up from that deck? Well MOVE."

  
Moments later Krennic came storming out of the room half dressed pacing halfway across to his office before stopping and pointing angrily at her. 

  
"How much of that conversation did you hear?! What did they say to me?! You tell me word for word right now!!" He was still shouting although not as loud as what had woken her up. 

  
"I... I only heard your side of the conversation... Something got destroyed? You don't want to hear about it now... a... and that you have to go to your office in fifteen minutes? D... didn't care how far someone had to run?”" She rattled off as quickly as she could. He stopped pointing at her. Clenching his fist in her direction for a second before putting it down to his side. 

  
"You better not be fucking lying to me about what you heard Kitah I swear to the maker I'll..." He snarled, he could not afford that kind of security breach. She shook her head. 

  
"I swear Orson. I only heard what you we're yelling, I have no idea over what or who to." She had never seen him so angry, she had never even heard him yell that loud before. For the first time since she got there almost a year ago she felt a chill of real fear run up her spine. He didn't wait to be convinced of her answer storming briefly into his office and back to the bedroom. She didn't move, a little afraid to. He came out fully dressed in uniform, heading towards the door pausing behind the couch. Kitah flinched momentarily when she felt him close to her stroking his fingers into her hair, only relaxing when she realised he was being so gentle about it.

  
"Kitah just don't. Don't you do that to me. Not now." He had however managed to temper his anger down to just a commanding tone when he spoke to her. Referring to her recoiling in fear of his rage. He reasoned she had every right to but he was not willing to lower himself to apologise for it at this point. Krennic had never wanted to scare her to the point she was at, he could feel her shaking try as she might not to. He remained stoic in his relief when she sighed and leaned back into his hand. 

  
“I... I Didn't mean to." He leaned down and inhaled her scent, intent on keeping it fresh in his mind to help him cope with what he was about to deal with. He pulled her hair back and kissed her neck softly on the mark he had caused earlier. 

  
He whispered in her ear "Yes. You did.”

  
"Now that you're awake I trust you can finish putting that back together. Take your morning duties off. Bring it to me later." She nodded looking back over at the still half assembled blaster. 

  
"I will." He left before his rage clawed its way back out again, he had underlings more deserving of that wrath right now.

* * *

  
  
Krennic had spent the worst part of his morning following up on the report he had gotten that a vital component for the station had been destroyed in transit. A terribly difficult and costly one to replace at that. He'd ordered Pterro to pursue the rest of the details when he couldn't get anything further at that hour. Just a fragmented message that had come through from one of the commanders on the ship. Tarkin would be sure to be breathing down his neck about it before long. It was completely out of Krennic's control but that never mattered to the old bastard. Krennic looked up when Kitah came into his office. He locked the door after her with the control on his desk. 

  
"You didn't get anyone else to do the work orders this morning?" She put down the collected data cards from the previous day having made her collection rounds before reporting to him. "I can take them now if you want..." He waved his hand at her. 

  
"Doesn't matter. I don't particularly care right now. They've clearly survived this far into the day without them. One day with nothing spelled out for them to do? They should be so lucky."

  
"Sir… ?" She knew that whatever he was dealing with today was a massive setback for him somehow. She couldn't help but have sympathy for him and whatever it was he was dealing with but of course he'd hate that. Even if he didn't say it. He would very much like at this moment for her to drop the formalities but he wasn't going to add letting her think she had more liberties than she actually did to his list of problems for the day. She un-tucked his blaster from under her tunic and placed it on his desk and slid it over "You'll find it back together in perfect order. I am sorry I... Well sorry I fell asleep in the process." He took it giving it a quick look over before putting it back in the holster.

  
"Perhaps that is for the best. A fortunate coincidence." He dreaded to think how much worse the morning could have been had she actually been there beside him when that comm came through. She may have heard something she shouldn't in addition to how much more she would have been scared by his reaction than she already had been. But now she was here she could help ease the built up stress of the morning. He stayed seated and beckoned her around the desk. 

  
"I guess since you had no morning duties you will have to assist me in other ways today." She had already walked around the desk standing near his chair when that came out. Kitah was a bit concerned as to what that would have meant. She paused and stepped back a bit. 

  
"Other ways like how?" She felt she knew but already had some idea she wasn't going to like the way he was going to go about it. He stood then grabbed her arm and pulled her back towards him. 

  
"Oh I hardly think you are that naïve about the ways I deal with stress, as much as you'd like to convince me you are." Kitah let out a surprised yelp not expecting him to pull her back. He pulled her hair tie out, grasping her hair firmly. "I was thinking about it all morning while I had to listen to one incompetent underling after another." She let out a whimper at his grip. 

  
"And what were you thinking about exactly?" He put an arm around her chest roughly holding her still while undoing her collar. 

  
"Oh I think you know. You see, I have not needed any interactions like those I've had in the past to deal with these kinds of days since you've been my charge." There it was, he actually said it. She grabbed his arm firmly at the mere mention of those 'interactions' and her in the same breath.

  
He actually was comparing her to any one of the women he had used to ease his stress in one way or another. Surely he had more respect for her than that, he even said it once didn’t he? It made her angry, she had never really been truly angry with him before. He had already run her reserves for his antics thin for the day. 

  
"Really Kitah? After the day I've had you're going to try to stop me from having what I need from you? Are you really going to try to convince me that you wouldn't enjoy a... Quick fuck over my desk.. like the others hmm? Can you only imagine the kind of stress I'd been feeling when I bent that fucking redhead over this desk hm? Nowhere near what I've had today!" He got his hand into her undershirt and over her bra. His turn of phrase set her off even more, she tried harder to resist him this time.

  
"Yes I am! I might be your... charge... Director Krennic but I'm not going to have you treat me like one of them! Not after the way I've treated you for all this time!" Kitah was doing her best not to raise her voice too much at him, not wanting to draw attention from outside. Instead she tried to put her heel down on his boot. He picked her up effortlessly with the arm he had around her chest making her attempt futile. He dropped her back down on her feet again catching her off balance. 

  
"So sorry to offend your delicate sensibilities Kitah. Very well I won't bend you over my desk then..." He spun her around picking her up and seating her on his desk "...when on it will do just as nicely." He stood closer to her keeping one hand planted on her thigh holding her seated to the desk. The other pawing at the snaps on her uniform. Despite her grip on his forearms attempting to stop him or at least slow him until he heard her out. 

  
"No!" She snapped at him. It's not like she would actually refuse him what he wanted, but in this case she thought she deserved better from him than this level of disrespect no matter what a terrible day he was having. It was what he had just compared her to that insulted and infuriated her, if she thought she could have gotten away with slapping him she probably would have done that instead. For a split second he hesitated when she blatantly told him no like that. She had never ever done that not once in a whole year. She had tolerated him and his needs even in the most terrible of moods he'd returned to his quarters in. Surely she didn't actually mean it. Her hands are still keeping a resistant grip on his arms. 

  
"I am not that red headed bitch that makes your life a misery I refuse to let even you Director Krennic treat me like the likes of her or any of your other disposable conquests you use to deal with your stress!” She hissed angrily at him in a way she had never done before, conveying her anger without shouting too loud, whether that was to save her reputation or his she wasn't sure. “You do this to me like that then you better be prepared to get rid of me like you do to them. Prison if need be!” 

  
Well that statement had done it. While she didn't mean for what she was thinking to escape from her mouth quite like that; it did and her hands let go from his forearms and went straight over her mouth. He angrily rolled his neck from side to side exhaling through pursed lips with frustration. He dropped his grip from her giving her a small shove back when he let her go. He took a half step back and folded his arms, glaring down at her. Kitah was a little stunned that he'd not snapped back much less actually dropped her like that. When she hadn't moved after a few seconds he stepped forward and slammed his fist down on the control on his desk unlocking his office door. 

  
"Just get the fuck out of here will you!!" He shouted at her. 

  
She let herself down from his desk, trying to quickly put her uniform back in some sort of order and get out of his office. Just as she finished putting her loose hair back while walking almost full stride out the door and into the corridor suddenly almost falling over Captain Pterro knocking her glasses off her face when she crashed into him. Pterro had been waiting patiently for Krennic to summon him into his office but had waited noticing the door was locked. 

  
"Oh stars Captain I'm so sorry...” _Great. Just fucking great_. Now she even looked like the very kind of woman she was just trying to avoid Krennic treating her like. She didn't want to draw any attention to herself leaving Krennic's office much less falling over his aide. Kitah sighed looking around for her glasses after dropping her hair from her half attempts to tie it back properly again. He found them before she did. 

  
"Cadet." He held them out in her direction "...Can't believe anyone still uses those anymore." Kitah took them wiping them on her still dishevelled uniform.

  
"... Yes I've heard that before from Ors... The Director." She put them back on. Of all the times Pterro had seen her before he’d never seen her looking like she was in her current state. Even a deaf person would have heard Krennic yelling at her to get out. 

  
"Well, no wonder he would say that. Have you considered cyb..." Kitah rapidly cut him off in her irritated state. 

  
"Cybernetics? Yes I have! I know.." She realised she was being snappy and disrespectful to a superior officer, he wasn't to know. She took a calming breath. It wasn't a good introduction. She had never had to talk to him before beyond pleasantries. "I am sorry. Again. Yes sir. It's been suggested to me a lot. I um. I have the rest of the days duties to attend to." He raised an eyebrow at her adjusting his cap as she almost walked into someone else before finally getting herself together further down the corridor. 

  
When he did get into Krennic's office he was greeted with nothing out of the ordinary considering what he had heard. "Took you long enough." Krennic snapped turning away from the view port where he had stormed to the moment Kitah started to rush out. Pterro wasn't stupid enough to point out that was because the door had been locked 

  
"Sorry sir. Unfortunately I haven't yet been able to find out much more information on who was directly responsible for the loss of the asset. Though Captain Slavin's Star Destroyer was also lost in the explosion. The transmission fragments from Commander DT-F16 indicate that it was Saw Gerrera and some other rebels."

  
Krennic had assumed as much already. What he was more worried about was if he happened upon it by accident or there was some sort of intelligence leak. Just like he was involved with those rebels that had been sniffing around Geonosis. 

  
"Of course it was. As for Captain Slavin? The Imperial Navy somehow finds itself improved this morning despite the loss of many men and a Star Destroyer and as for fucking Saw Gerrera... I want anyone of significance from Faos station questioned by the ISB as that's the only place he and his rebel filth could have picked up that freighter. Source of this whole mess is there." Krennic sat back at his desk, staring with idle thought at the sector map where the incident happened on the holodisplay. 

  
"Yes sir. I will make sure it is followed up sir." He too turned to leave but turned back on his second stride "Might I be frank sir?" Pterro asked. Krennic was rubbing his fingers together firmly. 

  
"You sure that's a wise thing to ask today Dunstig?" Pterro clasped his hands in front of him. 

  
"It's not wise on most days sir. While I don't pretend to even want to know what the precise intricacies are of the relationship you have with that 'cadet' beyond the need to know of what you've told me... In the couple of months I've seen her around here I've never seen her look close to angry or upset with you, usually she is always calm and respectful. Until today. I've also not heard you raise your voice at her. Until today. While I realise today's setback is a great detriment for the project and there is a fault and punishment to be had for it. Neither of which would be hers. You know as well as I do that there are many others who deserve your ire more than that cadet."

  
While Krennic had little need of friends, Dunstig Pterro was probably as close as Krennic could have to a friend these days as opposed to Galen who was still just pretending to be to save his own hide. He'd worked with him for over fifteen years. 

  
"And tell me Captain what is it you think her problem was then? And why should it be any of your concern or mine for that matter?" Pterro seemed to be calculating something in his mind for a moment. 

  
"Well, I would hazard a guess that you tried to treat her like just one of the long string of women and I use the term 'women' very loosely for some you've taken your various frustrations out on over the years." Pterro had other words in his vocabulary he would have thought better descriptions for some but was far too respectful to use them out loud. Krennic tried to maintain his air of he couldn't care. 

  
"So what if I did? Shouldn't matter really. Easy come, easy go. So they say."

  
"I'll say as someone who works with you on an everyday basis and has done for over a decade and a half sir this one isn't so 'easy go'. If she was you would have stopped seeing her a year ago." While Captain Pterro didn't exactly know that Krennic had kept Kitah locked in his quarters for months after he had innocently assisted her after she was drugged, he did know based purely on his slightly more tolerable behaviour that he was seeing someone on the station. 

  
Pterro had always figured he had transferred her to this department because he must have been having something to do with her in a personal way since that night and when Krennic gave him some version of the truth to match up with her suddenly working around him it made plenty of sense. It just didn't include that Krennic had something to hold over her that could leave her rotting in prison should it come up to the wrong people. 

  
"Your point?" 

  
"Any woman who tolerates being around you for months on end surely must have seen a bit of what you can really be like deserves to be treated better than one who would barely have to be in your graces for a matter of hours. Sir." He reasoned that if she didn’t want to be around his superior she would have put in for a transfer or not accepted in the first place.

  
Pterro had been married for some years to a reasonably understanding woman when it came to his career such as not knowing where he was and associated long absences. It was easy enough to see why. Krennic had met her once on Coruscant. He always remembered thinking she was nowhere near as troublesome as Lyra. He had to assume Dunstig's thoughts on the subject of women were sensible enough. Krennic was not about to admit to the fact he had probably almost done something unwise when he put it like that. 

  
"Well your observations are noted Captain. If you have nothing further, you're dismissed."

  
"Nothing further sir." Krennic watched him leave before unlocking his desk drawer and retrieving a flask from it. He might have finally done himself the disservice of actually having to get rid of Kitah because she would be too damn unpleasant to keep around. In less than one day he'd hurt her, scared her and insulted her. Krennic wondered if he could finally expect something thrown at him when he returned to his quarters this evening in the least. He found himself mulling over that thought late into the afternoon.

* * *

  
  
He was planning to avoid that confrontation in his quarters for as long as possible. Unbelievable, he'd somehow managed to let a woman potentially drive him out of his own damn quarters. A woman he was supposed to be in control of and here he was dreading to go back there all because he had so thoroughly insulted her. He didn't care. He absolutely didn't care and he should just go back there and remind her she could sleep in the brig if she didn't want to behave rationally. _She could just go and..._ His rationalising thoughts interrupted as his office door unexpectedly opened and Kitah came in. 

  
"Are you alright sir?" She asked taking out the late afternoons reports she had been gathering. Sure she had stewed for a couple of hours in a cafbar before returning. She had mostly expected him not to have been there. Somehow he looked a bit worse than before. She knew there was still no way he would actually tell her what was wrong, what had set him off. But it was the worst she had seen him look or behave that was for sure so it had to be bad. She put the datacards down on his desk and slid them over. He was needless to say a little perplexed to see her, she actually went and finished her duties for the day? Not just stormed off in an angry huff to sulk about what had happened? 

  
"As alright as can be expected. What are you even doing back here so late?"

  
"Well, I went back to my duties when you threw me out. Why wouldn't I? I'm here so late because I went to a cafbar after collecting the reports and stared into a cup until it was cold. I gave up and came back here. I was honestly sort of thinking you would have been gone by now." He picked up the cards, checking they were in fact all there before securing them in the drawer next to that flask that would now need refilling. 

  
"Why? You are avoiding me now Kitah?" She shook her head. 

  
"What good would avoiding you do? I am sure I would eventually run into you in your quarters at some stage. I really just hoped that you wouldn't still be sitting here dealing with whatever this is." She gestured to the sparse map on the holoscreen and his general state. 

  
"You know I can't tell you." There was still no way he would risk her having information she shouldn't. No matter how much he was learning he could trust her. Trust her with intimacies of his private life? Yes. With classified details of his work? Not a chance as long as he drew breath. He closed down the holoscreen before she could discern anything further from it.

  
"I really don't want you to tell me, I'd rather not know if this is what it does to you. Besides, I confess I was kind of hoping you would have had time to ensure I put your blaster back together suitably after things had settled." By that she meant to look at it to see if he could tell what she had done to it. He had honestly forgotten about it. Amusing considering how furious he had been when he saw she had taken it and disassembled it all because she couldn't sleep. 

  
"Really? That's what you are thinking about? I basically threw you out of here by the scruff earlier and you're wondering what I think of your meddling with my sidearm? Here I believed myself to be overly obsessed with my work. You are more than just as bad." He half rolled his eyes and pulled it out, thinking for a moment how fortunate it had been that he also hadn't had it that morning given the string of incompetence he had to deal with, someone might have ended up shot. On the outside he couldn't see very much at all. He tilted the barrel forward looking at where the energy cartridges loaded. Now that had changed. On first observation he couldn't say how though. He just knew it well enough to know it had changed.

  
"I guess if I want to know what you've done to it I'll either be forced to pull it apart myself or..." He half pondered out loud standing up and putting it back in the holster. 

  
"Or I can just tell you?" She offered over eager to share what she had come up with. 

  
"... Or." He spoke over her "... We can go down to the officers shooting range and I'll see for myself. Besides, working off a bit of steam down there might be just the thing I need." She was not paying attention to the mischievous glint in his blue eyes. He walked around his desk giving her a prod in her shoulder and guiding her towards the door "Let's hope for your sake it doesn't explode in my hand." His tone was momentarily serious.

  
"I am sure it won't." Of course she then worried the rest of the way to the shooting range if she had missed anything.

  
Her fears had been thankfully allayed when it didn't explode. After watching him test fire it several times. Kitah was definitely a little thrilled when she saw what her modifications had done. Quite frankly so was he, he continued to fire off more bolts until his destructive need was sated at least. It wasn't that he was a bad shot but the blaster was an antique, he kept it for his sentiment towards its aesthetics just like his ship. However it had never been anywhere near as powerful as a regulation issue blaster. "I can put it back the way it was if you're not happy with it, Director. I know it doesn't fire as many shots before needing to be recharged now but with that kind of output you shouldn't need them anyway. You'll find that's even above regulation now. I'd be cautious with it at close range." He could tell she was proud of the modifications. He had small doubts in her abilities when he saw it completely disassembled. 

  
"Do you know how to shoot Kitah?" He asked, putting the last unspent energy cartridge he had into the blaster. She shook her head, caught slightly off guard by his question. 

  
"Well no not really, I've never had a need. I mean I've fired off rounds from various weapons for testing but never with any purpose of hitting a target." He leaned his head into her neck kissing her there, he was still a bit flustered from earlier in the day but he could bide his time for a little longer now. 

  
"Let me teach you a little then. Will be much easier for you to learn from someone who is left-handed as well." Her brain stopped for a fleeting second when he did that before she looked down at the range at the newly replaced hovering target. 

  
"I don't know. I'm sure I'm not going to be able to hit some moving target like that." Well she was right about that. Krennic adjusted a control, the target stopped moving and hovered in a stationary position albeit a bit closer than he had used it. He put his blaster into her left hand. It was much heavier than other ones she had held. He'd also put a macroscope on it as well which added to its weight. 

  
"Don't hold it so tightly it will put your aim off." He adjusted her fingers on the grip placing her finger beside the trigger. "Don't try to use the scope either. It's not set up for you and you're not going to get one on most blasters so aim from here." He tapped a raised spot on the barrel that had once served as the original sight before he added the macroscope. She nodded it was going to be difficult to line up with her glasses but she would do her best. He stood behind her, holding her shoulder. 

  
"Relax. Trust me on that." He ran his hand down her arm ensuring she had taken the rigidity out of it. He looked from her shoulder seeing if she had an appropriately good aim. "It will kick back that's why you need to relax." Kitah inhaled a few times to try and get herself relaxed. Him hovering over her helped as much as it hindered. Krennic glanced down at her feet kicking them apart slightly. She glanced over her shoulder at him. “Balance. Now go on. Fire." He purred near her ear. She pulled the trigger of course missing terribly. Kitah was certain all of his ‘help’ was not actually helping. He smirked "Not very good with distraction are you?" He helped her position her arm again.

  
"Well no not when it's you doing the distracting." She huffed at him. Perhaps not realising that she was flustered with him as well.

  
"Fire again. If you can't handle me paying you a little attention however would you handle the stress of a fire-fight?" She whined pathetically when his hand snaked around her front pulling her back to him. 

  
"Go on hit that target just once and I'll stop torturing you." By the maker he was horribly cruel to her sometimes, she considered that maybe she deserved it after her earlier behaviour towards him over a little turn of phrase. He kissed her neck again after helping her adjust her aim. She fired missing again although the computer indicated she had missed by less. As with each time she fired. By time she was down to the last shot before the blaster was going to need to be recharged Krennic had stopped helping her aim because he'd undone her trousers and was teasing his hand over the top of her panties. “You better hit that this time since you are down to the last shot and I am out of recharges so guess I won't be stopping this torture if you miss."

  
It was times like this Krennic really hated the fact that a regulated standard issue female uniform did not consist of a skirt. _Utterly ridiculous._ He was so fond of doing things outside of regulation but that modification to her uniform would definitely bring unwanted attention. Kitah let out another noise of complaint at what he was doing. 

  
“Don't you even care if you get caught doing what you're doing to me right now?” Did she want him to stop? What did stopping consist of anyway? He let out a soft grunt when she shoved back against him, he knew he would still enjoy it when she had a little fight in her from time to time.

  
“Oh Kitah you have yet to figure out even a fraction of the perks to my rank, including an override to lock the access to this range from the inside.” Her frustration and annoyance with him reached its peak when she pulled the trigger, finally the blaster shot grazed the target enough to count as a hit. Not a perfect shot by any means but a hit was a hit. Krennic scoffed "Now that wasn't so difficult was it." 

  
"Absolutely it was and you know exactly why!" She snapped as much as her renewed manners towards him would allow, in other words a barely raised hiss. He spun her around and picked her up off her feet for the second time in a day and put her on the bench. She felt suddenly a little claustrophobic with the walls of the shooting range booth either side of her and Krennic standing almost between her legs. 

  
"Oh my dear. Sometimes your understanding of difficulty is positively lacking." She rested the blaster still in her hand against his shoulder. He would never let another woman rest a weapon on him like that, recharged or not. Yet he felt he could trust her now that she would never pull a trigger in his direction, she had every opportunity to do it before he caught her that morning when it was actually ready to fire. If only she could comprehend the amount of trust involved in that coming from him. 

  
"You can put that back now I think." Kitah twisted the blaster in her hand resting it back in his holster. He stayed close to her running his hands up her thighs before he gripped tightly dragging her to the edge of the bench firmly against him getting her full attention. Then he did something absolutely unexpected. 

  
"I'd like to apologise to you Kitah for my actions earlier. You did nothing to deserve that. I regret attempting to degrade you to a mere fuck over my desk like so many others. To refer to you in the same way as I would one of the absolute banes of my existence... I was indeed giving you much less respect than you've always shown me." 

  
Kitah couldn't believe it. Director Krennic never apologised to anyone. For anything he did. His actions were always justifiable. He knew why she had stood up to him and told him no, she wanted nothing to do with any of those women and why should she. He would however never admit to now being somewhat proud that she did. She was no longer a meek little loth kitten, thanks to his input no doubt. 

  
"Yet you clearly want me here? Now?" Of course one of his justifiable actions was apologising to her. If she forgave him it would just hand any control she'd wrestled away from him in that moment of protest right back to him. 

  
"Oh yes. Very much so. I want you now because I want you. Not because I am furious and looking for a distraction. You can also rest assured I've most definitely never had the inclination to even bring a woman into the shooting range before." He ran his hand onto the inner side of her thigh before brushing his knuckles against her crotch. Kitah lulled her head back and moaned pathetically for him. Sometimes she hated how he could break her down with just the smallest amount of his charm. 

  
"Which I now find most odd given the ideal height of this bench." Kitah let out an amused gasp at his insinuation. He tugged her back close to him by her collar. "Let me have you. Don't tell me no again." While it seemed he was putting her in control he knew he was still incharge. He unclipped her collar opening the snaps on her tunic pushing the top of it open along with her undershirt kissing and nipping the freshly bare skin above her breast. "Say yes to me Kitah. I want to hear it." He implored her. 

  
There it was that gentle huff of defeat. She took her hands away from barely pressing against his shoulders ending her feeble show of resistance. Instead brushing them through his silvery locks in line with his temples. It was pretty obvious he was planning on getting at least a little messed up, while resting his head just above her bosom. But he knew he had her, once again agreeable to his demands as she always had been. 

  
"Alright Director if that's what you want. Yes, you can have me. I don’t want to have to stop you again." Oh her sweet confession was almost music to his ears. Her belt made a rattle as he pulled it off before letting it clatter to the floor. He had her tunic and undershirt fully open within moments. Oh so inadvertently merciful to him she had worn a front closing bra that was also deftly swept aside. His hand freed her hair and became wrapped in it as he pulled back on it arching her body and jutting her breasts further forward. He quickly swept one of her nipples and as much of her breast as was allowable into his mouth.

  
"Ah!" She couldn't help but yelp at his actions. He released her breast after nipping her nipple firmly coaxing another sound out of her. He pushed her back down onto the bench running his hand over her cheek and neck. "You will need to be a little more discreet in here my dear." He ran his gloved finger tip along her bottom lip. 

  
"So a choice. Since I know you won't be able to keep quiet past a certain point of my attention. My hand over your mouth..." He leaned down and stared into her worried brown eyes with his sparkling blues while covering her mouth. She had let him do it before, although never really liked the sensation. He then ran that hand from her mouth down over her neck gripping gently around her throat "Or I silence the sounds out of you here... Pick one." She tapped his wrist where it was.

  
"I must confess I've never been particularly fond of having your hand over my face..." He grinned down at her. 

  
"Suits me just fine." She hoped he would consider her limits at least. He let her throat go for now. Running both his hands down and over her bare torso. Pushing the uniform and bra back out of the way more so he could admire what was his. He undid her uniform pants dragging them and her panties down to her ankles "Fucking beautiful." He growled at the sight of her there half stripped down in her uniform. 

  
He lifted her hands over her head pressing them down. "Keep them there or I'll tie them up with your belt." He pressed her thighs apart, his gloved fingers tracing up her drenched slit "For someone who had tried to convince me they didn't want me... Look at that." He pressed his slick fingers to her lips. She licked at him, tasting a mix of her arousal and leather. 

  
"You know that's only since you were hovering over me before when I was trying to shoot!" He smirked at her pathetic attempts at excuse making. 

  
"Really now. So wet for me so soon. I'd call you a salacious little slut if I thought it were appropriate." Kitah hissed back through her teeth at his words. He toyed his fingers back down to her pussy rubbing his knuckles against her clit "But you're not a slut are you... You're just mine. Mine to do with what I please." His earlier charm of letting her think she was in charge by 'letting' him have her had rapidly slid back to her usual understanding of their tryst. Krennic was always the one in charge, especially with his knuckles tormenting her bud like that. 

  
"Y..yes sir."

  
"Good girl. You keep those hands where they are and try to keep yourself quiet for a bit." His fingers slid away from her clit and into her warmth. She felt his tongue take over her suddenly neglected bud. She ended up chomping on her bottom lip to keep quiet managing only a soft moan. He slowly and purposely pressed his tongue around the most sensitive place on her. Pressing his fingers deeply into her curling them just enough to torture her centre. Oh she wanted to yowl. She wanted to grab his hair tightly. Do pretty much anything to him. But she was in a position that prevented her, he knew that and that's why he insisted she keep her hands where they were so she couldn’t interfere with the slow strokes of his tongue against her clit. 

  
"Ungh. Fuck..." She inhaled backwards the still foreign curse slipping quietly from her mouth barely keeping it a quiet one when he sucked hard on her clit, gripping it between his teeth. Kitah held onto her own wrist to keep from moving. He didn't stop her when she put one of her legs over his shoulder, any way to endure what he did to her. She fidgeted and arched her back. The tingle of looming climax drew up her spine. Krennic pulled his fingers out of her tortuously slow. _Bastard._ She loathed when he did that, but she had chastised him enough for one day. Parting her drenched pussy and admiring. Licking her sweet taste from his lips.

  
She was already in an absolute state. He pressed the pad of his thumb firmly against her clit. Stroking heavily back and forth. His other hand snaking up her body to her throat. Kitah whimpered and whined as he brought her back to where she was close. He pressed down firmer on her throat silencing the noises and robbing her momentarily of her breath. Her back arched til it ached her leg slid off his shoulder and curled around him pulling him closer. 

  
"Go on. Let go before you pass out." He didn't let his hand off her throat. Kitah shuddered and let out an indeed silenced yowl. Krennic plunged his fingers back into her tight depths loving the feeling of her cumming around them. He let her throat go moving his hand to her breast and massaging in a soothing matter. Kitah gasped for breath, tortured tears of pleasure escaped her eyes and ran down the sides of her face into her hair. He pulled his fingers from her licking some of her taste from his hand. He glared down at her "Oh you're such a sight. If only you could know how you look to me."

  
She was still lost for movement and words. With her lain there wrecked and not moving apart from her heaving chest she heard his buckle make a similar sound to her own but rather the belt, holster and blaster ended up beside her with a soft thud as opposed to on the floor. He opened his absolutely stifling collar and tunic, he was going to need a lot of straightening out after this that was for sure, not that he gave a fuck right now. Although he would not be nearly as dishevelled as he was going to leave her. He undid his black trousers, dropping them and finally freeing his painfully hard cock that Kitah had felt digging into her leg the entire time he tortured her. She had no idea how he restrained himself until now. She didn't get much warning as to when he grabbed her hips dragging her arse almost off the bench. He stroked some of her wetness over his cock a couple of times before tormenting her still painfully sensitive clit with its tip. "Director...Please." She begged softly.

  
"Oh such a good girl I didn't even need to tell you." His hand swiftly moved back to her throat simultaneously as he thrust hard into her fully filling her slick depths. He felt Kitah's cry catch in her throat against his palm. Fuck she felt good he almost came on just that first thrust alone, he had wanted her so much ever since that disaster of a morning. Still a pity she couldn't know exactly what over. She may not have turned him down no matter how he had insulted her if she knew how important it was. This though, he knew this was much better than what he would have gotten in his office. He regained his composure, going 'easy' on her with several smooth slow strokes. 

  
He released her neck again when she'd started to keep herself quiet biting her lip again. He stopped being quite so gentle and torturous when she started to huff in a fluster. He changed his tactic to harder thrusts which she seemed to enjoy from the stifled sounds she made and kept it up until he needed her closer. "Get up here." He growled. Kitah pushed herself up off the bench. She put her arms around his neck and curled both her legs around him. Complementing his thrusts. She moaned against him muffling her noises into his neck thoroughly enjoying the change in position.

  
Krennic lifted a hand from her hip tangling it in her hair pulling her up to kiss her roughly not caring when he bit her already abused lower lip. Kitah inhaled a slow deep breath trying to stave off cumming for a second time due to the angle and depth his cock thrust into her. _Marvellous._ Krennic barely managed to think tensing himself. He moved his thumb over to her clit again. She swore against his mouth. Of course he fucking knew how close she was. A few more thrusts and his thrumming of her clit later she kissed him back deeply to avoid screaming. While Krennic got to enjoy the heavenly feeling of her drenched pussy squeezing him tightly as he tipped over his edge filling her. He groaned equally loud into her mouth collapsing forward bracing both hands on the bench beside her.

  
Kitah untangled her arms from his neck slumping back onto the table. One of her legs lazily let him go while she rested the other against his side. Oh she was still beautiful. Would he get tired of seeing her like that? Not any time soon that was for sure. Her brown eyes lidded heavily for a moment while she still inhaled in short little breaths a proud little crooked smile on her features. "And what's... so amusing... hmm?" He asked her, still quite breathless himself. 

  
"Oh... Just how messed... up you are..." She waved her hand casually from his hair down to his uniform. "Not a look ...I've really seen... on you. I kind of like it..."

  
"Don't get too... attached to it... my dear." He closed his eyes for a moment still enjoying the after feeling as much as he could while also contemplating the walk back to his quarters. "Besides... You are a lot more... Messed up than I am and you're the one that has to walk back to my quarters..." He leaned down and spoke softly against her ear "...with the feeling of my cum dripping out of your well fucked hole onto your panties now aren't you." _Fuck_. He was absolutely right about that. Finally she was up for a walk of shame if she ran into anyone... Knowing and feeling that. "Wonder how you will even walk straight. Don't you worry I'll love the idea of knowing what you're going through when no one else does." He smirked wickedly at her.

  
"You're so cruel." Her statement was more of a pathetic mewl. He had never been quite so ribald in his speech to her before. She fully assumed it all had something to do with the contents of his day. All new to her the ways he dealt with different 'severities' of stress.

  
"You've told me so many times. For many reasons and look how much I care." He proved his point when he pulled out of her stepping back while he persuaded her to the floor by his fist in her hair. Just hard enough to be persuasive rather than to hurt her. Kitah complied even with her cacophony of pathetic sounds, giving him what he expected. Licking away the evidence of their combined pleasure before he released her hair. Krennic let out a groan at the feeling of her actions and tucking his still sensitive cock away and redressing. Kitah pulled her panties and pants up quickly when she stood. She rested her head against his chest amongst his open tunic. He stroked down her back not hiding his smug look knowing what she was feeling now she was standing.

  
She ignored his expression trying not to give him the satisfaction and did up his collar for him and retrieved his belt while he did up the rest of his tunic. After he'd fastened his belt and straightened his uniform as much as he could he didn't really look that bad. She swept his hair back with her fingers before pulling a few stray strands down over his forehead. 

  
"Now you look like you normally do when you've had a terrible day." 

  
"You would know wouldn't you."

  
“I might know a little.” She fussed with her own uniform pulling herself together as much as she could. She found the tie for her hair, dragging it back. Despite her tightening her belt and straightening her uniform she still looked like she had been more than accosted. He lifted her chin 

  
"...Now. You just wait here for a little while before heading back. I'd say it would be just too much of a scandal for you to be seen looking like this anywhere near me don't you think?" He was right. He certainly didn't care. He'd just be seen as lucky, where she would just be seen as easy despite Krennic's long standing sole claim over her. 

  
"I do indeed Director." He stroked her cheek before he headed for the door. “Oh and sir...” Kitah said coyly causing him to pause at the door console acknowledging her with a quiet sound and glance back in her direction “Apology accepted.” Krennic let a half grin grace his features before he unlocked the door and left.  
  


* * *

  
The time Kitah had spent waiting to leave was torture, it felt like forever before she dared leave the firing range and started back to Krennic's quarters. She had managed to avoid actual eye contact with anyone. That was until she got to the junction that led to this deck's rows of officers quarters the other went down to the more junior service barracks. Technically where she 'belonged' had she actually been a cadet stationed there from the beginning. 

  
She had just made it to the corner when who should round it but that damn redhead who of course made immediate eye contact. Said eye contact with her made Kitah's boot heels squeak on the floor as she came to such an abrupt halt. "What are you doing walking around here at this hour cadet? Your quarters are down this way don't you know? Or do you still get lost easy? Honestly how does Director Krennic put up with your incompetence?!" _Oh I could tell you exactly how he does._ Kitah avoided knitting her brow to match her thoughts. She glanced over her shoulder seeing her ever present single death trooper shadow approaching.

  
"And look at you... You look like you've been roughed up in a utility closet by some junior officer. Pathetic." _Not so junior of an officer actually..._ Okay, so Kitah had to admit it now gave her a small thrill that Cassar had no idea what she had been up to or at least no idea with whom. In fact if Cassar knew who'd messed up her looks and what she could feel between her legs right now she assumed Cassar would lose her mind. Kitah searched for an excuse to get away from her before she lost the restraint not to tell her. She shuffled her feet distractedly. Before diving her hand in her pocket feeling a couple of blank datacards in there. 

  
"Oh well you know you're probably right. But I had to bring him these reports." She held up the cards from her pocket "He said he didn't care how late he got them. You know how the Director is. I asked this trooper here to show to the Directors quarters." It was at that fortunate moment that her escort did get close enough for Kitah to give him a pleading look to get rid of Cassar so she didn't get caught going into Krennic's quarters and not leaving again especially by this damn busybody apprentice.

  
The black clad trooper stood between Kitah and Cassar "Move along. Return to your quarters this cadet has important duties to fulfil with which you are interfering." Cassar scowled at Kitah like usual before obeying. Not wanting the trooper to get her in trouble with the Director. He would be so disappointed in her and she didn't want that. 

  
"Please give Director Krennic my sincere apologies for making her later than she no doubt already was." She spoke at the trooper before turning her glare back to Kitah "Try to learn where things are cadet. You should know by now!" She turned around and stormed away. It really wasn't her place to scald Kitah but did it anyway. Kitah mouthed a soundless thank you to the trooper. She was extra glad for their emotionless visage. Cos she was certain the trooper was aware of the amorous happenings in the firing range.

  
When she finally got the code cylinder in the door she was so relieved to be inside she slumped down to the floor leaning against the door. Krennic meandered out of his office. Kitah could tell he had just put out a ciggara. 

  
"Aww look at you. Trust your evening stroll was pleasant. Run into somebody did you?" He drawled at her full of smugness and sarcasm. Sanctimonious bastard she thought. 

  
"Well... Now that you mention it Orson I guess the highlight of my walk back was running into a certain redheaded bitch on the main concourse. Now that I am safely in here... I can freely admit that standing there while she snarled at me about... You... While I was covered and filled... with you... was a little bit of a thrill. She actually accused me of looking like I'd been roughed up by a junior officer! Was kind of difficult not to tell her she was only half right... just not by so junior of an officer..." He was actually rather chuffed at what she had gone through on her little wander and how she had handled it. 

  
"My, my look at the confidence you've gained since being around me. Who knew such things could come out of that mouth. Feels good doesn’t it?" She nodded and got herself up. She went up and kissed him. He tasted of the fresh ciggara he had just put out. In addition to whatever harsh liquor he'd taken in. Not having changed out of his uniform yet he also smelled of both along with the general scent of sex and what ever was left of his aftershave from the morning. He liked being able to tell when she was just appreciating him with her other keen senses.

  
"I take it you are no longer bitter at me for my indiscretion earlier?" She shook her head 

  
"Hmm do you truly care if I am?"

  
"I care because a slighted woman is terribly unpleasant company, in addition I would hate for it to dissuade you from any other future, how shall we say advances that could be made in my office to put it plainly." That sounded about right for him. 

  
"Well, I guess it won't. But please don't mention any of those other women you've had to me in that context again and you're safe from the likes of my temper Orson. Pale as it is in comparison to your own." He grasped her cheeks firmly and kissed her. 

  
"Very true." She caressed over his hands and returned the kiss.

  
After that she'd enjoyed a couple of glasses of wine and a long hot shower with him. Both had ensured the stresses they had put each other through over the day were completely resolved and Krennic felt at least marginally better about the incident that had set the worst of it off. 

  
"So I'd like to ask you something Kitah..." He asked after they’d been in bed for a while. She was only half asleep and he clearly knew that. He somehow had the energy to still be sitting up in bed reading a datapad and doing work that had otherwise been ignored due to the day's events. She'd rolled over about an hour or so ago and pulled the sheets up to avoid the datapad glare. 

  
"..mnn hmm?" She offered wearily. Rolling back over to face him "...what is it Orson?" He put the datapad down pulling her closer. "...Nothing bad I hope?" She enquired with slight concern in her voice.

  
"Well that depends on your point of view. There will be celebrations for Empire Day held aboard the station given the number of stationed officers and personnel that won't be able to return to Coruscant. One of the celebrations being that typical ball and I want you to accompany me." She really didn't want to endure another one of those things after what happened at the last one. Not that it had turned out so bad at this exact second, it's how it could have turned out that still ate at her. She thought idly tracing her fingers over his chest. 

  
"I'm not so sure about that Orson. Considering last time and how I don't like those kinds of affairs. Is this an order or a request?" He brushed some stray hair off her weary features.

  
"Request. I'd like to not have to make it an order. But will do so if required." Why did he have to put it that way? It just meant either way she would end up going, if she told him no he would definitely make her feel terrible about him having to force her to go. How bad could it be this time, she just had to remember not to accept any drinks from people and find where her dress had disappeared of course. 

  
"It's alright Orson I'll go if that's what you want. No need to make it an order."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 🎵 [Kevin McAllister ft. Sebell - "Play Dirty"](https://youtu.be/7OrDNukMTF4)
> 
> * It is not essential to have seen SW Rebels to understand this chapter. But if you haven't and wanted to know what was in it - [Wookiepedia - In the name of the rebellion](https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/In_the_Name_of_the_Rebellion)
> 
> * Obvious artistic liberties taken - who knows if there is an officers shooting range? I put one on the battle station because, wanted to be different from office smut. The Marksman-H combat droids exist, and actual shooting ranges for security services used to exist on Coruscant. 
> 
> * Personal note - OFC told him "NO!" purely because she was pissed off with him for degrading/insulting her. Of course I wasn't going to turn him into a rapist no matter how pissed off he was. Hence why he just told her to get the fuck out.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well this is one of the most artistically liberal chapters in this story. But who doesn't love a ball? Special guest appearance by our other favourite officer in white: Grand Admiral Thrawn. Now please note, this is a completely AU version of Thrawn that I planned to use in another story. Yes I am so meta I wrote my own crossover. This version is a pick-n-mix bag of the things I like most about Thrawn from both canon/legends sources.

* * *

  
  
"Orson... Tell me again why I have to go ... Ow... This.. I hate these things ...or don't you remember what happened to me last time?" Kitah tried one last time to persuade him in vain to not make her go, even though she knew at this juncture it was far too late for that. She swiped and cursed at the droid that was attacking her hair. Krennic was fussing with the studs on his gloves and looked down at her.

  
"Because I want you to and really you are not in a position to say no. Of course I remember how poorly that went for you, after all here you are.” She sighed wincing as the droid tugged the last of her hair back into the elegant style, something she honestly had no skill at. 

  
"Ow! You know what damn you! You silly droid do you know what I could do to you with just a screwdriver!? I could take you apart and reassemble you in so many ways your own manufacturer wouldn't recognise you!" The droid pulled it's tools back away from her beeping some form of apology. Kitah made a half threatening lunge at it with a comb. Krennic reached at her and grabbed her forearm before she could actually try to make good on her threat. He gave the droid a dismissive motion to leave before she became intolerable and ruin his night before it had even started. Though he had to admit as long as her temper wasn't directed at him when it showed behind her normally calm exterior it was quite attractive. After the droid left and she had started to calm down he reminded her. 

  
"It will be different for you this time, you can endure one of these fraudulent gatherings of posturing along with me so when I have to make nice with people I don't want to I'll have a pleasant distraction. I'm asking you... Not ordering you remember." She smiled at his words, finding a little comfort knowing he disliked at least some aspects of these things. 

  
"Hmm you know that you asking me is as good as ordering me. But if it makes you feel better Orson I won't think of it as an order."

  
"Aren't we hard to please even in that beautiful new dress. Most women would be more than happy to be asked even to go with an officer like me to an Imperial ball and truly Kitah I don't need you to make me feel better by not considering it an order." He stood in front of her pulling a few strands of hair out from behind her ear curling them around his finger and letting them sit. He walked around her; his finger pondering on his chin 

  
"What?" She said self consciously it was bad enough that the dress he had gotten her to wear was already far more elegant and even sexy than the quaint never seen again black dress she had on last time, she never thought she would ever wear a dress with a split so high up her leg. He had insisted that she could most definitely pull it off. She felt he had people to make jealous. Even more obvious when he reached around her neck from behind and clipped a sparkling necklace around it. Wait, what crystals were they. _Are those diamonds?_ Oh it looked very expensive. "Who did you borrow this from?" 

  
"Don't be so obtuse woman. I wouldn't dare borrow such a thing. I bought it. Not like I get time to spend credits on anything else." He was clearly almost insulted by the insinuation snarling his features a moment. Kitah turned and kissed him appreciatively appeasing his gesture instead. "Thank you Orson it's very beautiful."

  
"Suits it's new owner." It would take a while to sink into her that he purposely bought something that clearly would have cost a lot of credits and wanted her to keep it. He caressed over her bare shoulders and kissed her neck. 

  
"Now can we go?"

  
"Not if you keep that up." She laughed. He pulled on one of her loose strands of hair near her neck. 

  
"Later. For now, behave hm?"

  
"Of course Orson. Best behaviour indeed." She hoped she was being truthful and most certainly would try her hardest not to embarrass him in any way.

  
The gathering was vaguely similar to the last one she had attended, aside from clearly being bigger. But there was something totally different and freeing about not having to worry about trying to sell some or several lines about the company she worked for and how they could do more for the Empire with the contract than any of the other potential representatives that had been there. Krennic was right. On his arm amongst the high ranking officers with their own respective partners during what seemed like an endless string of greetings was even pleasant right up until she had to do her best not to cringe when Krennic had to greet the lone Governor Tarkin. 

  
It wasn't that Tarkin was particularly threatening looking of course the fact the thin featured man was taller than Krennic made it feel like he towered over her, he also conjured up unpleasant thoughts about the instability he could set off in the man beside her.

  
"Director Krennic, so nice of you to join us." It didn't sound like he meant that. She was certain if anything he would have much rather Krennic not show up so he could make a big show of how reckless Krennic was. "And what delightful company Krennic, from what department did you persuade this one out of? I am sure you must have told her some story to get her to accompany you. Promise of promotion perhaps?" Kitah kept her facial features straight despite how she felt Krennic's hand tighten over hers almost painfully on his arm, not to mention how rude she felt it was to talk about her like she wasn't even standing there. Before Krennic said something he probably would have regretted Kitah answered politely instead. 

  
"Such a pleasure to meet you Governor Tarkin. I am actually only on a temporary assignment to Director Krennic's department, I'm usually stationed in private sector research at Rendili StarDrive. Mostly experimental systems. Director Krennic has been kind enough to offer insight into my research after I approached him at one of the previous engagements. He has been most helpful to me and I did not require any such persuasions to attend with him."

  
Tarkin was a little taken aback by her response, it was unexpected. He, like so many others, found it difficult to believe Krennic would do anything remotely civil or helpful for anyone else 'just because'. "I guess I owe you an apology then miss." She shook her head with a genuine looking smile she put on. 

  
"Oh don't be so silly Governor it was just a misunderstanding." Tarkin raised an eyebrow, shot Krennic a glare and headed to talk with other officers. Kitah felt the tension release on her hand. He leaned down and whispered in her ear.

  
"You continue to surprise me with that display of maturity above your years and I am going to thank you later."

  
"You do enough Director, no need to thank me." She really wanted to kiss him in that moment but thought better of it when she noticed a couple of the other officers beckoning him over. He looked over and back to her. 

  
"I suppose I had best go talk a little business with Deputy Director Ronan and others. Go get yourself a drink, by that I mean don't let anyone give you one of course. I'll find you when I'm done." She resisted a pout as it was perfectly understandable. 

  
"I'll stay out of trouble." He gave her hand a much gentler squeeze and left her to go talk.

  
Kitah was sipping on a sweet sparkling wine from what planet she couldn't recall when she was distracted by a high pitched greeting it made her eye wince on one side. 

  
"Hello there! Well if it isn't the little cadet that's always getting lost." Kitah looked over at the woman she had avoided at every opportunity as much as she could up until this night. But now she wouldn't want to draw attention for being rude, so she forced a smile thinking of the last time she had to talk to her for more than three words. Cassar, despite having an over abundance of make-up plastered on she still looked well into her late thirties and it did nothing to add to her short red hair. Kitah thought she would play naive for the sake of avoiding a confrontation. 

  
"Uh, I guess it is? I am sure you will find I have not gotten lost in quite some time though?"

  
Cassar waved a finger at her in a condescending way. "Well I know I have seen you wandering around looking lost. I believe I've even had to reprimand you about it once. How did you even get assigned to my department?” 

_  
Her department? _ Kitah eyed her over discreetly. Unlike the elegant dress Kitah was wearing Cassar was dressed in something Kitah would have put akin to trashy as opposed to the sexy she was probably aiming for. It was too tight, even though she was taller than Kitah it actually made her look short. It hugged her in many wrong places and showed off too much cleavage for this kind of event, not to mention its obnoxiously bright shade of blue. 

  
"Oh I am only temporarily assigned to the station. I am in the private sector." Cassar had hoped to give the girl a bit of a rattle. She knew she was that cadet that Krennic started giving her own daily duties to but would give her no manner of importance. 

  
"Ohh I always see you hanging around Director Krennic's office more than you need to be. Like a lost massiff!” That tone made Kitah take a step back a little, the woman was too much in her space... _A massiff?_ Kitah could think of someone that looked more like one of those reptiles than her right now. Was that truly the best insult she could come up with? 

  
"I don't 'hang around' his office. I assist him with a few odd duties and work with him on occasion. Director Krennic has been quite generous in assisting me with some of my own private sector work. I was assigned here as a cadet since the work benefits the Empire." Cassar rolled her eyes at this girl's lack of importance, really this cadet was only in the private sector? How did she even get an invite to this ball? She wondered who it was she had come with. Obviously not someone of decent rank or she wouldn't be over here talking to her. She was clearly over dressed for the likes of such a low rank and here with probably the same junior officer that accosted her in a storage room on the last time she had to give her directions no doubt.

  
"Oh I am definitely sure you have been in there wasting his time... lots. I should know. I am his top engineering apprentice. I was assigned to his department personally by Governor Tarkin." She said it as though it was of some great importance. _Oh I bet you were, you irritating bitch._ Kitah couldn't care less about Cassar's inflated sense of stature or what she thought of hers. Kitah had never been a glory hound and Krennic had enough stature for the both of them and then some and was never afraid to let someone know it. 

  
"Well that is wonderful for you. I am sure you will learn a lot there." Kitah was so glad they had never really spoken aside from the encounter in the corridor and her chastising about being lost on occasion, she felt fortune smiling she had avoided this for so long.

  
"Oh I'm sure I will. He's very dedicated to teaching me." Cassar seemed to puff out her already too accentuated chest at that sentence. Kitah was looking for an escape but Krennic was still busy talking. Fortunately across a crowded room of officers that cape made him easy to spot. _Ohhh._ She came to a quiet realisation in her head before blinking again realising Cassar was still yapping at her. "But you know I just feel like he has not been focusing on his work properly with so many distractions. I and some of the others in his department are feeling this. Perhaps you should limit your research consulting to comms only." 

_  
Who does she think she is? Others? _ Well that was doubtful, Kitah already knew no one else she worked with in Krennic's department had ever expressed a problem with her, not even his aide. Just this one damn woman. Clearly Cassar had no clue who Kitah even walked in with, the irony.

  
"I am so sorry what was your name again?" She narrowed her eyes trying to pretend she cared, before she would give this woman a piece of her mind. She wasn't going to take this woman telling her what to do as if her position gave her some right to do so. Kitah most certainly didn't need Krennic to hold her hand for this. 

  
"Oh how rude of me I am Enn. Enn Cassar." She pointed to herself like it was some great honour to know her.

  
"Right. Well Enn my name is Kitah Shae and that is Cadet Shae to you. I most certainly will not be reducing my interactions with Director Krennic to 'just comms' any time soon. Since you are not an officer I don't see how you have any authority over me. So I would suggest you stop trying to tell me what to do!" Her voice got firm, but not loud. She finished her sweet wine and signalled the serving droid for another. 

  
"Truth be told I also feel it is you who is more interested in him than his work. You couldn't care less if you disturb the man as far as I have observed." Kitah may have said it a bit too pointedly.

  
"Oh. How is that so? I'd be surprised if you could observe anything wearing those." She pointed out Kitah's glasses. _Oh not an animal this time, a glasses insult how original..._

  
"I feel that it is high time that I'll just have to report you to someone." Kitah took her ordered next glass off the serving droids tray. 

  
"Really report me for what? And to whom?" Enn scanned the room looking for anyone she could think of, this was her chance to get rid of another one of Director Krennic's many distractions that kept his focus elsewhere besides her as it was he had clearly been too distracted to return her invite to the ball. 

  
"There. Governor Tarkin. I'll report you to him for obstructing and interfering with a superior officer and overall insubordination!"

_  
Well this ought to be interesting. Even if I was he would not care, probably tell me well done keep up the good work. _She rolled her eyes, finishing the thought in her head while Enn was still looking in Tarkin's direction, all too quickly draining the fresh glass of wine. Was this also Krennic's habit of dealing with stress rubbing off on her? She hoped not, besides the glasses were small and the wine was sweet tasting but weak. Clearly it was just this woman irritating her. 

  
"Will you now? Because I am sure Governor Tarkin will most certainly remember me from when Director Krennic introduced me to him about half an hour ago." Enn folded her arms across her way too revealing at the neckline dress. It obviously didn't click just yet. 

  
"Really now. That is funny. Really cute joke cadet. Utterly ridiculous though, as if Director Krennic would be introducing some temporarily assigned private sector contractor cadet or whatever you are to Governor Tarkin of all people. No matter I'll be sure to tell them both about all your lies!!"

  
Her raised voice was already attracting a few glances from those closest. Kitah made an apologetic look at them. She continued to talk quietly and calmly so it would appear she had nothing to do with this woman's ranting. She beckoned the service droid back over to take her empty glass. Kitah glanced across at the officers who were starting to disperse finally. She asked the service droid and asked for another glass of the same wine staying with the weakly alcoholic beverage and a brandy type alcohol 

  
"Best make it a double." She said as an afterthought before looking back at Enn. "Look I really don't want to get into some sort of a silly fight with you Enn. But rest assured I am doing nothing to ...detriment... Director Krennic's work. Have you considered this issue you have with me maybe a problem with you and your... standard of work not getting his attention like you think it should be?" She was a little stunned at what came out of her mouth and the tone it came out in. Now that was definitely Krennic rubbing off on her, there was no way she would have had the courage for such pointed talk a year ago at least without stammering and shuffling no matter how much someone frustrated her. Enn clenched her fists getting more worked up. 

  
"How dare you question my work! You know what. I am going to report you. Right here and now! We will see whoever the unfortunate guest is you came with and what they think about their date when you are getting thrown out." Kitah raised an eyebrow. She hadn't done anything wrong as far as Tarkin was concerned but she was sure if this cocky apprentice went over there to try and tattle on an officers guest it would be amusing. The serving droid brought back the glass of stronger alcohol she had asked for in addition to her wine, she took the two glasses off the tray and nodded to it. She would have to slow down after this drink that's for sure but was glad she had them in her system at this point.

  
"Well I mean my 'date' as you so eloquently called him is over that way anyway so I am sure he will no doubt hear you when you go reporting me to Tarkin. I guess that will be embarrassing." _For you._ Kitah thought uncharacteristically malicious in her mind. She tried not to sound sarcastic but she certainly couldn't sound worried.

  
Enn had already begun to stride over there confidently, determined to make sure Kitah wouldn't get over there to 'tell her side' first. Kitah just walked over at the normal pace for someone carrying glasses in heels. Enn was somehow overconfident in that trashy dress. Krennic found it hard to hide the rage of what he was witnessing when he saw that damn apprentice storming over, he'd hoped to get through the whole night with no such encounters. Enn pushed straight past several other officers and people and straight up to Tarkin without even being announced she was glared at and talked about by several guests.

  
"Governor Tarkin sir! I want to talk to you about this girl!" She turned to point at Kitah just to catch sight of her as she was just placing the glass of spirit she had ordered into Krennic's hand. Deliberately lingering her fingers against his when she handed it off making sure Enn saw. She stood innocently next to him as if she had no idea what the raving woman was on about. Despite this the credit still had not quite dropped to Enn that Kitah was in fact Krennic's guest. The denial part of her brain assumed Kitah was just trying to sweeten him up so she didn't get into too much trouble. Tarkin was immediately irritated by Enn's display. 

  
"And who are you to try and lodge a complaint about an officers guest in the middle of an official formal gathering I wonder?" Enn looked over at Krennic realising the girl she was just about to try and get thrown out of the affair was actually his guest, not some low ranking officer like she expected at all. _Director Krennic is her date?!_ She was gaping like a Mon Calamari on Tatooine. It gave Kitah a warm feeling in her stomach when the look of realisation made its way onto Enn's features.

  
"Well I... I... I am just concerned that with the Director being a consultant to someone in the private sector that it takes time away from his work on the project sir." Tarkin thought the woman was absolutely mad. 

  
"You will do well to keep your voice down..." He was watching for what to call her. 

  
"She's an engineering apprentice Governor Tarkin. One assigned by you I believe and I'll have her know I consult on my own time not the Empires." Krennic interjected with a smug undertone, more than happy to assist Enn into getting into more trouble. He couldn't actually get rid of her himself but this was much more satisfying to watch. Surely these antics would get her out of his hair permanently. Tarkin inhaled with annoyance and brought his glare right back to Enn. 

  
"I see. Well in future I suggest if you have some sort of official complaint to lodge you better do it on your own time not waste mine. If you want to keep your position I would rather not hear any more about you harassing those you have no say over. Now I think it would be prudent for you to return to where the other junior officers are gathered. I would enjoy yourself while you can as I will make sure you are barred from any such events in the future." Enn pouted and huffed in an utter fluster. She glared over at Kitah, just as Krennic made a show of running his fingertips up her spine through the open back of her dress until his possessive hand reached up and stroked the back of Kitah's neck. 

  
"I... I am so... Sorry. Governor, Director. I seem to have... Misunderstood something." Enn turned on her heels and stormed away, her cheeks flushed with anger and embarrassment, Kitah found it amusing that she got no such apology from her. 

  
Enn was fuming. _How dare she! No wonder he has no time for me. That young upstart. How could she possibly be a researcher? She must be looking for some sort of promotion! She was probably using the Director, what if she was a rebel spy?_ She believed he just couldn't see it. She would have to do something about it on her own. Tarkin's glare followed Enn as she stormed off. He inhaled before turning back to Krennic and Kitah. 

  
"That was unpleasant. Perhaps I will follow up on her assignment. You try to have a pleasant rest of the evening, miss. Krennic." Krennic mumbled some sort of response equally as disinterested in Tarkin's evening. If the old bastard could fall down a turbolift shaft it would only be too soon. He took a sip from the glass she brought him, raising his eyebrows above it for a moment. 

  
"Did you do that on purpose?" He asked Kitah who was still glaring at Enn who was doing the same back at her from across the room. Enn was trying to pretend to be interested in the topics of others around her. 

  
"Sorry Director but she cornered me over there. Demanding that I stopped distracting you, reduce our interactions to 'comms only' if you can believe that. I am sure she meant stop hanging around you because it's interfering with her doing the same. I didn't do it on purpose as I so much as didn't correct her when she was coming over to Tarkin to get me and whatever unfortunate guest brought me thrown out." He smirked at her typical style of truth by omission 

  
"Oh no need to be sorry, it was wonderful to watch. Are you jealous of her?" She was almost insulted that he would make such an insinuation, she then guessed she may have deserved it over her assumption about the adornment on her neck. 

  
"Stars no. I can see how someone who would wear something so trashy might be good for..." She whispered quietly "...a quick fuck." As she heard Krennic put it many times before. He was still amused by her use of vulgarity, even a whispered one, it was so sweetly out of character for her to use them. 

  
"Mnn don't you judge me you little thief. I didn't have you sequestered in my quarters seeing to my needs back then." He said only for her to hear. She shrugged her shoulders. 

  
"Well I still don't believe I have anything to be jealous about. After all. She's the one over there staring at me let she wants to kill me in my sleep or perhaps when I am awake I can't quite tell. She only managed to get your attention just once and I'm sure it was a matter of mere convenience to you when you were in a foul mood. I can't say I've gone wanting for your attention since I met you and I am the one over this side of the room standing with the man I feel is her obsession. I have absolutely nothing to be jealous about." She inhaled when she again felt his fingertips against her exposed back.

  
"Hmm so not jealousy then. Perhaps you were just claiming what you believe to be yours hm? Walking over here and handing me that drink in an all too seductive manner at just the right moment? You knew what you were doing." She smiled sweetly in pretend innocence at that as they placed their empty glasses onto the tray of a passing server droid. 

  
"What is mine? Hmm says the man who put that equally well timed hand on the back of my neck at just the right moment himself." He moved his hand from her back and put it around her waist in a much more possessive gesture. Witnessed with a furious glare by Enn. "That's because you are mine, not the other way around my thieving involuntary guest."

  
Enn fumed totally ignoring the conversations of the junior officers around her. She couldn't believe that he brought her here, she was far too young for him. She couldn't possibly hope to communicate with him on his level. Obviously she had seduced him into this. Maybe even blackmailed him. Enn felt she was a much more appropriate choice. She was much more poised to compliment his success. How was she even making him hurt her feelings like this?

  
"But I guess only you know all of that Director." Kitah pointed out, he tilted her chin up and kissed her. He kept it short enough to not draw too many looks, but serious enough to make a point to the one look that mattered. 

  
"Now she does too." There was a loud clatter and smashing of glasses across the room Enn shoved people aside as she stormed out after throwing her glass on the floor. Kitah watched the commotion before turning her gaze back to his. 

  
"Orson Callan Krennic you are terribly cruel." She said purely for his ears only, she wouldn't let others hear her being so familiar calling him by his full name. 

  
"I still do not hear you complaining too often about that my dear."  
  


* * *

  
She barely left his side for the rest of the evening, unless he wanted to talk about something classified with someone. The company she had been with when that was the case was mostly pleasant enough. She even managed to make idle small talk with other guests of officers. Staying well away from the other side of the room where Enn had been stalking around but she wasn't the only one they were avoiding apparently. Krennic had told her he would very much like to avoid talking to a particular officer and described him as such. Beyond that things remained pleasant and uneventful. Later when they were actually enjoying a dance she had to respond to his long unanswered question. 

  
"So are you telling me that if I'd actually had a chance to ask you last time you would have danced with me? You seem to know how..." Kitah made a mock look of offence at his surprise before making a halfhearted attempt to purposely step on his boot. Krennic smirked and moved it out of the way, knowing she wasn't really trying that hard to do so. 

  
"Now why wouldn't I? Just because I've only read books or watched holovids about some things, you might have noticed I am a very quick and astute study of most things. But I believe if you had asked me I would have been almost too scared to actually accept." He turned her around and pulled her back to him closer 

  
"Oh I have noticed. You've absorbed nearly my entire library and seem to understand most of it upon my questioning. Now tell me why would you have been too scared to accept?" She did almost fall over at his move but thankfully only had him to fall into.

  
"I think I would have been wondering what an officer of your rank and stature doing asking a nervous little private sector guest like myself to dance. Of course that isn't the case now." He ran his hand up her side. 

  
"Yes you do sound very content now." He lowered his voice near her ear "...For someone serving a sentence for embezzling." He smirked as he twisted her away again. She was smiling herself and was about to give him a coy response. Until she glanced over his shoulder.

  
"Tell me, that officer you told me we were hoping to avoid... About six foot, blue skin, red eyes and white uniform right?" Krennic tensed with annoyance; exhaling. 

  
"Yes... Why?" Not that he needed to ask. She moved her head a bit so she didn't continue to stare over Krennic's shoulder. 

  
"Well he's about to be behind you in.." She closed her eyes listening to foot falls "...three, two.."

  
"Director Krennic. Do you mind if I cut in?" Grand Admiral Thrawn’s firm but polite voice cut through the air, he knew he had to throw Krennic off immediately and not give him a chance to get composed and start to manipulate his way out of the situation. Thrawn had already spoken to Tarkin about the evening's earlier happenings before his delayed arrival. He didn't miss at all that Krennic's company had managed to give him a few seconds heads up nonetheless. Krennic glanced up at the ceiling in the quickest of his annoyed expressions. 

  
"Not at all Grand Admiral." Krennic stood aside turning to face the Chiss tactician. 

  
"I had hoped to have a talk to you about how your project is progressing Director, however when Governor Tarkin shared with me how your young company here handled herself earlier under the attack of a rather obnoxious guest this evening I simply felt I needed to meet her before the mundane tasks of talking about our respective projects." 

  
Krennic was suddenly even more confident in his decision to not share anything about the station above Kitah's just adequate security clearance with her. Because Thrawn would figure out she was hiding anything like that immediately. He would just have to hope that he didn't turn up anything else that could come back on his position, like how she actually came to be there at all. With Thrawn anything was likely. Despite the air of charm and sophistication Thrawn gave off Krennic knew he was a manipulative bastard like he was. 

  
"Of course Grand Admiral, I am quite sure Kitah wouldn't mind that at all. She seemed to think this would be an unpleasant evening and here she is getting to spend time with not one but two high ranking officers. The same can be said for this striking lady..." Krennic made a gesture to the woman Thrawn had on his arm. He resisted raising an eyebrow to look at her. It was very unusual for Thrawn to even bring someone to one of these things. He thought she looked like she was from Coruscant or another well off core world with her striking long unnaturally fiery red hair frosted with white and silver at the ends. Her eyes were such a bright brown they were almost gold. 

  
She would have to be another red head, though she was infinitely more attractive than Enn and dressed elegantly like Kitah as opposed to trashy. Still typically he couldn't escape redheads today. Also if Thrawn chose to bring her to this ball there was no way she would be as obnoxious as Enn, Thrawn had even less of a tolerance for rudeness than his own. 

  
"Imalari my dear I am sure you have no objections." Thrawn didn't care about anything that Krennic could pick up from the woman he brought with him. That wasn't why he cut in. Yes Krennic was a master at twisting situations to his advantage true, but so was he and much better at it he felt. 

  
“Not at all." Kitah gave Krennic a quick glance that said in a fleeting moment not to be concerned. Even if he was, he didn't show it when he exchanged pleasantries with Imalari. Kitah smiled to be polite. 

  
"It is a pleasure to meet you Grand Admiral." Thrawn took her hand and politely kissed her knuckles. 

  
"Oh I believe the pleasure is all mine. Kitah was it?" He looked up from her hand to look directly at her, his blue skin and glowing red eyes were a stark contrast to his crisp white uniform. Clearly he too cared about his outward appearance. Krennic was right about how investment in one's appearance could command respect on its own. She was barely rattled by his intense red stare and didn't look for an immediate way to avoid his gaze. Would she have done that all those months ago? Probably not she would have rambled and fidgeted nervously looking at her feet immediately. 

  
"Yes it was. Though I'm afraid I didn't hear which Grand Admiral you might be." When the music started again Thrawn must have been watching her and picked up already that she wasn't a very accomplished dancer so didn't try to lead her with anything too difficult. 

  
"Thrawn." 

  
_Him? This is Grand Admiral Thrawn?_ She had read several of his only partially redacted mission reports as part of her own research, she had never heard that he was not human. 

"You are Grand Admiral Thrawn?" While those words out of another's mouth might have sounded judgemental like he was used to. Out of hers it was almost a surprise that she was even allowed to talk to him.

  
"Ah so you do know of me. But not in any detail since you had no idea who I was based purely on the description Director Krennic no doubt gave you, as very few mention who I am by name without mentioning either my appearance or the fact I am not human. So I am guessing you have read something with my name alone attached to it. Something I have written? Perhaps a mission report. Though one would have to wonder how you would have got hold of such a thing." His glowing stare moved from her to Krennic across the room. _Uh oh._ Immediately Kitah could tell he was doing exactly what Krennic warned her he would do should they not avoid him, try to pick her apart. She looked over at Krennic as well. 

  
"Oh! Oh no. Not what you think. I um. I used to work at Kuat Drive Yards. My superior had acquired several mission reports pertaining to the use of micro-jumps in Star Destroyers. As well as others on the merits of the Interdictor. They would often do many things that she shouldn't to gain any edge on the Sienar Fleet Systems research department. I admit I took an interest when I saw what they had acquired. I didn't realise I wasn't supposed to read them until I already had." Kitah hoped he saw she was being truthful. She wouldn't want to get Krennic into trouble for something she had done before he even met her.

  
"Well I am sure you meant no harm in that case. Of course should it come to light that you mean to do harm to the Empire with what knowledge you gained; then who you procured them from would find themselves under closer scrutiny." She almost stumbled with her mind not concentrating on the dance. Thrawn stopped immediately his grip on her becoming slightly tighter at the risk of her actually falling. 

  
"I. I am fine Grand Admiral. Just clumsy." She nodded that they could continue when she herself was certain she wasn't about to fall over. His tightened grip on her lessened when she relaxed again

  
"So Director Krennic warned you he didn't want to speak to me. Why would that be, do you think?" She tilted her head 

  
"How did you know he did that?" 

  
"I saw you counting my steps as I approached. You managed to give him a few seconds warning before I cut in. No small achievement." Thrawn had made the error of not accounting for her to give Krennic those vital seconds to compose himself before he spoke, it wouldn't happen again. Kitah didn't even realise herself that someone would see her counting. Was she tapping her foot or her finger like normal? She didn't think she was.

  
"Well he didn't really tell me too much. I mean other than he wanted to avoid talking to you." Thrawn could have guessed that. But was intrigued she had no problem saying so. Kitah knew if she outwardly said something incriminating but not too severe it would give him cause to still believe she was genuine and truthful. 

  
"Oh I am certain he would like nothing more than to avoid talking to me about his project. Did he tell you what I would want to discuss?" She gave a thoughtful look while she tried to remember. 

  
"Funding I believe. Clash of interests for the Empire. I remember thinking how much I'd hate to be dealing with that on large scale projects. I've had to often attempt to secure small amounts of funding for different research projects for the company I work for." Thrawn could tell that Krennic had warned her about how he would try to subtly get information out of her. So rather than continue down that line of asking questions about Krennic he backtracked to attempt to trip her up.

  
"Ah yes. Private sector at Rendili StarDrive. Star Ships and experimental propulsion systems, I believe that's what your company deals with." She gave him an impressed look 

  
"Oh you have been busy... hmm let me guess Governor Tarkin?" She glanced across the room in Tarkin's direction. Thrawn had deliberately continued to dance her far enough away from Krennic so he wouldn't hear anything he said. Imalari wasn't going to let Krennic stay within earshot either. That had not gone unnoticed by Kitah, Thrawn's company was clearly just as invested in his interests as she was with Krennic's and it showed. She felt pleased for him on that level actually, she knew how xenophobic the Empire was, the woman he had brought with him was clearly more than fine with him being a different species. While StarDrive employed many species but they were never encouraged or permitted on site at any Imperial facilities unless absolutely necessary. Grand Admiral Thrawn must have been very good at whatever it was he did for the Empire to have such a position.

  
"Yes, the Governor was more than happy to overshare his curiosity about how Director Krennic managed to convince someone like you to attend this with him and not look completely miserable for doing so." She made an annoyed look in Tarkin's direction, a barley hidden scowl.

  
"Yes I did find it a little difficult to not be insulted when he said as such right in front of me like I wasn't even there. But I managed to politely let him know I was more than happy to have been asked and to attend." Thrawn too glanced in Tarkin's direction, while he too considered it quite impolite to talk like that about a person while they were standing right there Tarkin was not a man he was in position to chastise.

  
"I am sure Governor Tarkin was merely curious as to why someone in the private sector would even have their interests entertained by someone like Director Krennic. He is an architect and an engineer first and foremost despite his title. Nothing to do with anything you are currently working with. I wonder if Director Krennic has told you the nature of this station?" Now she really felt like he was not even trying to hide that he wanted to pick over her for information. 

  
"Well, I mean he hasn't really told me no. It's a battle station as far as I know. Most of the same functions and capabilities of a star destroyer from what I've found. Of course on a near impossible scale when it comes to what it has the capacity for in troops, personnel and equipment transport. I assume it's for getting toe holds in places where there are no immediate resources to fight insurgencies? At least that's what I would have thought." Thrawn thought her answer was thought out enough not to be a lie, it was the same story sold to everyone outside the strategic advisory cell. So it was possible Krennic had not told her otherwise. 

  
"Well that is close enough to its intended function and he didn't tell you what my project was then?" Now she just wore a look of genuine confusion, why would Krennic have told her anything about what other officers projects were? 

  
"He said nothing about your project? As you know he barely even told me who you were or anything about you beyond a physical description." Thrawn allowed the smallest of smirks to grace his features as he looked at that very expensive necklace she had on. 

  
"Well so as not to be impolite, allow me to fill you in a little about myself. You see I have a great interest in art and culture. Knowing these things about a species makes them easier to know and then even easier to defeat in battle. Of course it does also make for interesting ways to find out specific things about individual people. For example if you work in the private sector of any company with the exception of owning it you would not be able to afford a piece of jewellery like that." He ran his finger over some of the gems. Kitah looked down at what he was doing not trying to appear concerned 

  
"Is that so? It may not be real." He took his hand away from the jewellery. 

  
"Oh it is most certainly real. I can tell by the cut and the clarity of the stones. The setting is also extremely finely detailed. Replica stones are very seldom seen in such a setting. There is that and then that dress you are wearing is equally well crafted from similar fine materials also well above your pay grade. Which would suggest that someone has either loaned them to you, which I would think is unlikely as both of these items are brand new. So I would say that Director Krennic purchased them for you. Now if he simply had something to prove about who he could get to accompany him he could have persuaded someone of a little higher stature that didn't need such a large amount of credits to be spent on them to attend with him. Someone easily found somewhere like Coruscant given his rank. Which tells me he wanted to spend that amount of currency on you. For that he would have to have a vested interest in you beyond that of just a friend since generosity is not one of Director Krennic's defining attributes." Thrawn glanced over at Krennic and Imalari 

  
"Judging by the way he started glaring at me when I made a purposeful show of touching that necklace I am certain of that." Kitah glanced over at Krennic herself but not for long, picking her apart was right. Krennic had greatly undersold this man's ability to find things out or at least see what was in front of him and interpret it. Either he did not know or did not want to panic her by telling her. 

  
"That is a rather impressive skill set indeed Grand Admiral and if any of that were true? I'm not permanently under his command so it isn't exactly forbidden." 

  
"No. It isn't. I believe you are far too genuine to be associated with him just to get credits spent on you, despite your underprivileged upbringing probably somewhere like Corellia as evidenced by your accent and work history but I do admire your impressive self education. It would seem you genuinely care for the man and it's not just for show, though someone as young as you clearly has another motive to do so. How nefarious that may or may not be remains to be seen. But that man is a borderline narcissist and is mostly only capable of the imitation of true feelings. Perhaps that piece of advice will save you some heartache in the future." He finished the dance with her. Kitah felt he sounded genuine in his concerns. His observations of Krennic were no secret to her. She did feel however he was not completely irredeemable, she'd seen such moments. 

  
"Well we will see won't we Grand Admiral. Thank you for not giving me too much of a challenge, at least on the dance floor." He bowed to her. 

  
"I am sure you won't mind keeping Imalari company while Director Krennic has to endure what he was trying to avoid." With that he began to stride back over to Krennic and Imalari. 

  
"Of course not. She is quite beautiful herself and is clearly enamoured by you. I think you're quite lucky Grand Admiral." He gave her one last look of sincerity.

  
"Oh you haven't the faintest idea." He watched with his own contained jealousy as Krennic also finished the dance with her. 

  
"Did she manage to tread on your feet less than me Director?" Kitah laughed to break any tension. Imalari laughed as well 

  
"Oh don't worry, I may have tried. I have only limited experience in dancing myself." Kitah thought that was quite sweet, no wonder Thrawn was so prepared when she almost fell herself. Kitah guessed she might have been around thirty, maybe a teenager when the Clone Wars broke out. Certainly leaps ahead of the other thirty something redhead in the room. Kitah took Krennic's hand and gave it another reassuring squeeze to quell any stresses he was hoarding. 

  
"Imalari and I will go fetch a drink for ourselves. Leave you gentlemen to talk business." Krennic held in is admiration for how Kitah had conducted herself all evening to not even get rattled by the Grand Admiral, it was a feeling of desire and pride in how he had turned her from a frightened little mouse into a woman not at all out of place dancing with high ranking officers at an Imperial ball. 

  
"You do that." Krennic ground out. Kitah smiled and went with Imalari. 

  
"What do you drink? Wine? Something else? I have found that sweet sparkling wine very nice." One more glass and that was definitely it she thought. Imalari had a think to herself. She had only had a drink with Thrawn a couple of times and that was some strong obscure kind of ale of a taste she could describe as 'interesting' definitely not sweet. 

  
"I think I'll try your sweet wine suggestion. I'm not much of a drinker, truthfully." Kitah summoned the waiter droid 

  
"It's okay for a social situation like this. It's good to make an exception. It isn't very strong." The droid came over and took their order. 

  
"Grand Admiral Thrawn is a very intense man I noticed. You two are close?" Imalari looked over at Thrawn talking to Director Krennic. 

  
"Oh yes, he is very intense. Though that Director Krennic seems like he is managing his interrogation despite that." She laughed kindly knowing that interrogation was an accurate description indeed. 

  
"I am used to the way he is. Close? I'd like to think so. Though Thrawn is quite guarded and his opinions on things can vary a lot from others." Kitah listened keenly to her very strong accent, clearly basic was not her first language. Though it was like nothing she'd ever heard. Kitah plucked the glasses off the returned waiter droid's tray. Handing one to Imalari. 

  
"Director Krennic does a good job of holding his own against anyone he feels he needs to. Though I know he was trying to avoid Thrawn probably for the reasons of whatever conversation they're having now." She took a sip from her glass. She could tell Thrawn's company was also invested in picking her apart if possible, just less direct about it. It must be catching. Kitah swore she felt a strange tingling in her mind, unable to put a finger on it. Maybe she had indeed started to over indulge in this 'not very strong' wine. 

  
"Hmm yes. Thrawn mentioned that he was probably trying to do that. Hence his decision to cut in. I hope you didn't mind." Kitah shook her head answering honestly.

  
"No. I found him interesting to talk to despite his intensity." Interesting was an apt description, had it been a different situation she probably would have tried to talk Thrawn's ear off about those mission reports, if anything just to get a better idea of how he took advantage of the star destroyers hyperdrive in a way it was never meant for. She and Imalari continued to make small talk about various things. Mostly about the company they kept. A bit about Kitah's adoration of Imalari's fiery red hair that she laughed and refused to share the secret of her style. When they had finished their wine and returned their glasses it seemed that Thrawn and Krennic had endured each other for as long as they both could stand to do so. Kitah politely bid her farewells and ‘pleasure to meet you's’ with Thrawn and Imalari. She took Krennic's arm after he turned and walked away from them. While he didn't look like it on the outside he was very tense. 

  
"I am sorry you didn't get to avoid that, I hope he didn't manage to 'pick me apart' too much." Krennic had had about as much as he could stand of the evening especially after enduring Thrawn and was making haste to leave. Kitah picked up on his hint and followed. 

  
"No he didn't seem to have. If he did he didn't say anything. He was more concerned about how my project puts the galaxy at risk. How melodramatic. I fail to see how his project would be more effective than mine at keeping the peace." Kitah didn't even want to know what it was and was glad she already didn't. His mood seemed to lift almost as soon as they left. Their pace of leaving had slowed to a pleasant pace after a while. For which Kitah was grateful, feeling a little tipsy and as nice as those shoes were they were killing her feet by now. She distracted herself from them long enough to pass judgement on their evening. 

  
"Well overall I must admit you were right and I was wrong..." Kitah sighed with a smile, she still had her hand tucked in Krennic's arm. The taking of their time walking back to his quarters and the ball now far behind the tense feeling had finally gone from it. 

  
"I am right about so many things my dear you will have to narrow your statement down." He was at least back to being his usual smug self. Definitely feeling better. She had a quiet laugh about it. 

  
"You might be sir but I'm also not wrong very often myself. But... You were right, I did enjoy going mostly because I was with you. I could even overlook that crazy woman's attempt to embarrass me or Tarkin's attempt to insult you and me by proxy and that impromptu interaction with the Grand Admiral."

  
He did appreciate that she had maintained her respectful addressing to all the officers and didn't embarrass him or herself despite others' attempts. If anything the way she handled all of it elevated his stature further than when he had just planned for with her youth and beauty alone. 

  
"I am actually quite proud of what I have turned you into over the past year... Tell me truly do you think you would have been able to manage this evening without rambling or fidgeting back when you first met me? What about politely telling Tarkin to shove his comments in the only way a woman could do? And the way you let that woman make an absolute mockery of herself? Making it through the Grand Admiral's scrutiny?" Kitah considered his words, there was no way at all she would have managed all that without him pushing her out of her well out of many of her comfort zones, as well as scalding her every time she went to do any of those diminishing behaviours. What might have seemed like picking on her or harassing her at the time, even that cruel little stunt he had pulled on her after the firing range had helped turn her into someone who could confidently compete on that stage as well as any of the others that attended with officers. 

  
"Seems I have learned a lot in your 'captivity' haven't I?"

  
"Clearly not all you can...yet." She gave him a confused look. 

  
"Oh really what else is it you think you can teach me. I mean aside from don't spend funds I don't have." She laughed. Krennic stopped without warning and herded her suddenly against the wall mid stride. He stood right in her space, his forearm leaned against the wall on one side. She put her hands instinctively up on his chest. 

  
"What are you doing?" He shook his head. 

  
"Tisk. Tisk. What are you planning with those hands hmm? What am I doing? Same as usual. Whatever I want." He ran his gloved finger tips up along her thigh brushing against her skin through the high split in her dress. Her breath caught in her throat. He leaned in and kissed at her neck. 

  
"...Aren't you worried someone will see what you're up to this time?" She kept her hands where she had them. Not actually sure what she was planning to do to stop him without causing a scene.

  
"Not really. But it seems like you are." His stance prevented her from stepping away from his touch. All she could do was press a tiny bit further back into the wall. 

  
"I am not...." He smirked 

  
"Oh I really think you are. I think we both know you sometimes can be a terrible liar." Krennic pressed his hand firmer over her thigh higher than the split in her dress allowed hitching it up a little. While she was partially frozen with the embarrassing thought of getting caught if someone else walked past even at this hour she was also barely holding him back with her hands, he was the one who had always said what a scandal it would be for her. He licked his lips in consideration 

  
"I have often wondered, Kitah had I gotten to you before you had the chance to drink that concoction would I have been able to get you past that self doubt of yours that an officer like myself wanting to give you any attention would I have gotten this..." He stood right up close so much it was pointless her having her hands up, his hand hitching her dress up more caressing over her hip "...close to you like this right after?" 

  
Despite how much her feet were killing her she cursed inwardly at her weakness for his attention even when she was trying to 'behave' like he had told her to before they left his quarters. She raised the leg he had his hand on caressing against his leg with her knee. 

  
".... I might have been too scared... to say yes..." That was clearly not the case now of course. While it would have given him a fleeting thrill at the time, in hindsight he liked all of this much better. 

  
"You would have been too scared to say no. You wouldn't have wanted it to get back to StarDrive that you had insulted an officer. Because rest assured that's what would have happened." He wickedly corrected her. She had wanted to give him a different answer besides him knowing exactly what she would have done back then, but didn't have one. When she didn't disagree with him his hand slid from her hip into her panties grazing his gloved knuckles over her pussy. Well, that got a reaction out of her. She grabbed him firmly near his elbow letting her leg drop down towards the floor a bit. Her reaction was made especially worse by the sound of the approaching boot steps of a routine patrol. She had expected him to drop his torture straight away, when he didn't she tried to move. He pressed his knuckles harder against her making her inhale sharply

  
"Ah. Unless you really want me to embarrass you I would put your leg back where it was and let go of my arm." Embarrass her? How did it become about him embarrassing her?! The steps of the patrol got closer to rounding the corridor. Whatever this game of who caved first was that he was playing she didn't have his nerve for it and did as she was told. Krennic still had her trapped in place with his forearm beside her head. He caught her lips and kissed her deeply. He pressed a finger between her folds and against her clit. Kitah made a protesting whine against his kiss. She wanted to cause that scene she thought about earlier. But there was just no point, he'd leaned his shoulder into her as well. Like he had stated he would do what he wanted anyway, there was nothing for her to do except relax and return his kiss.

  
She closed her eyes though not wanting to be a witness to what she assumed was the forthcoming scandal. When the patrol rounded the corner and walked right on past the couple from the ball no doubt drunkenly kissing in the corridors they kept walking without so much as a break in their stride. Krennic broke his kiss and leaned back a little to see her slowly open her eyes when the patrol sound faded away letting out a held breath in relief. He looked at her with an extremely smug expression. 

  
"You really should just learn to trust me." He took his hand from her panties and pulled her dress back neatly where it was "My dear that patrol couldn't see a thing I was doing to you besides kissing you. I knew full well my cape was obstructing any view anyone might have had. If you'd just relaxed you would have figured that out too."

  
She slumped back against the wall a bit. He was absolutely right. She shook her head with a soft smile at her own panic, she wanted to be at least a bit mad at him for being cruel and torturing her like that. As much as he was clearly just amusing himself he would have told her it was for her benefit if she tried to complain about it. 

  
"Orson..." She said quietly despite there being no one in earshot. "Mm?" He acknowledged. 

  
"I should very much like to go back to your quarters... And get out of these shoes..." He looked down at her feet in thought.

  
"I'll tell you what..." He pulled her gently away from the wall. "We will go back to my quarters and I promise to get you out of everything... Except this." He put his hand on the side of her neck rubbing his thumb down over her throat to her necklace.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 🎵 [Zero Tolerance - (feat. Ruby Amanfu)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wLyC-L-Bhe4)
> 
> * So obviously the character Imalari is an OFC of mine. Despite how she looks she is not human. Course should I ever write that story that would be revealed. Also the first force sensitive SW character I've ever come up with. 
> 
> * Apologies again to any Tarkin fans reading this, yes I am pretty mean to him in general because he killed my favourite character... on purpose. Sorry Wilhuff... haven't forgiven you for that yet. Still stings.
> 
> * There are of course a few obvious references in this chapter to "Pretty Woman", especially Krennic's disgust at the idea of borrowing something like that necklace.
> 
> * Ahh the Massiff - A charming reptile dog like creature.
> 
> [Wookiepedia - Massiff](https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Massiff)


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 12k Words, slightly longer but I don't like breaking chapters up in the wrong spots.

* * *

Kitah was a bit surprised when she heard Enn's annoying chirpy tone coming at her from a side corridor. 

  
"Hey! Hey you..." Kitah had almost forgotten what 'hey you!' sounded like since being around Krennic for so long. Her proximity to him for that time also caused her to roll her eyes at the way she called out. Heck even when others addressed her as of late it was either miss, ma'am or cadet at least until they knew otherwise. 

  
"Uh.. Enn... Hi?" She stopped near her puffing from her run down the corridor. 

  
"I'm sorry I have somehow forgotten your name... Silly of me I know." Kitah raised an eyebrow at the red head, she had never been this nice to her. Not one breath worth of nice. Something that of course got worse after the Empire Day ball incident. 

  
"Kitah..." she responded dryly.

  
"Yes that's right ... For some reason I tried to remember by committing something to my memory then I forgot what it was .. oh! Loth cats... You know Loth cats have kittens... Heh..." Stars could there have been a more demeaning way to remember her name? _What is it with her and animals..?_ Her fake chirpy manner was sickening.

  
"Can I uh.. help you with something Enn?" Kitah stepped back a bit, Enn crowding her personal space as usual.

  
"Well.. I um. I just wanted to say I was sorry for the way I acted on Empire day... And you know all those other times." She took in a put on deep sigh "You were just so pretty and if I must be honest I was a little jealous." _A little jealous?_ More than a little. She didn't know the half of it. 

  
"You were going to try and report me to Governor Tarkin just for being there!" Kitah raised her voice slightly "That's more than a little jealous that's flat out irrational of you. You can't just expect someone like Director Krennic to give you his attention just because it's what you want. You've worked with him long enough to know he does whatever he wants." Enn was having trouble keeping up the act in light of Kitah's pointed words.

  
"I know. I know. But as for the ball I'd probably had too much to drink with the others by that stage... Kind of inhibited my manners." Kitah was suddenly glad that Krennic wasn't an irrational drunk, for all of his carousing he had reasonable self control and did Enn actually have any manners to be inhibited in the first place?

  
"And you suddenly want to apologise for all your behaviour towards me, why?" There had to be some self serving reason for it. Enn had put enough things together after the ball to know that Krennic was fond enough of this cadet to take her and show her off in front of those other officers. That he'd given her all kinds of duties that kept her close by. So clearly the way back into his good graces was to be nice to this cadet and workout how to oust her later. 

  
"Well I mean it seems like you are going to stay around aren't you? Director Krennic must enjoy ..working.. with you on whatever your little project is that you are consulting with him on and giving you all those little duties when you're not doing that. That's why you're still around so much isn't it? I must say the little show you two put on at the ball to make others think you might be a couple was quite amusing." Her assumptions were right, clearly she didn't have much idea about what went on between Kitah and the Director. Kitah doubted she would be even half as pleasant if she did whether she was just pretending or not

  
"Let's say yes, I'll be around for a while yet."

  
"So then I thought it might be best if we at least tried to get along. I don't think Director Krennic would like for us to be fighting." Kitah knew Krennic absolutely would not care about infighting, if anything he would loathe if she suddenly changed her opinion on Enn. "That would just be poor form if those that worked with him couldn't get past their dislike for each other." Kitah told a lie for the sake of civility on display in the corridors. 

  
"I don't dislike you Enn. I've just not had cause to like you either." _Actually I pretty much hate you and I don't hate easily._ Kitah did however hate how she seemed to make Krennic furious on purpose though, it had definitely gotten worse since everything that happened at the ball. Perhaps she really was just totally naive. Not that Kitah hated the way Krennic handled his temper... sometimes. However she could only enjoy so much of him fucking her when he was angry. It wasn't fair really since she wasn't the one who made him angry in the first place, Kitah did her best to remain civil given the occasional person walking past. 

  
"... You just make my ...work... difficult at times. Director Krennic only assists on my project in his off time and if someone like you has given him a difficult day then it reflects on my work you see." Enn tapped her bottom lip in thought. 

  
"Oh really me? Give him a difficult day? I honestly can't help it if he finds teaching his own speciality to others so difficult. You're younger than me guess teaching you whatever simple thing your’re working on is nowhere near as challenging as teaching engineering." Kitah inhaled, she couldn't think as slow as Enn if she tried. She could learn what Enn was trying to 'learn' from Krennic just by reading holobooks alone, in fact she probably had already several times over. 

  
"I guess you are right." She desperately hoped if she just agreed with her she would drop whatever she was bailing her up about and go away.

  
"Well of course I am. Anyway... Kit...” Kitah could not begin to go into how much she hated being called Kit and thanked the maker that Krennic had never done it. Even though he would probably be the only one Kitah would let get away with doing it more than once. “I wanted you to have a look at my latest assignment before I showed Director Krennic. I mean you could probably tell me if there's anything else I should add to it before I show it to him. Save me the embarrassment of having to do it all over again. Of course save the Director the frustration of it not being perfect." Saving Director Krennic frustration now that was a cause Kitah could get behind. He had mentioned before how frightfully uninspiring he had found anything Enn turned in. Kitah pulled up her sleeve and looked at her chrono. 

  
"I suppose I could take a quick look. But I have a holo conference to attend with StarDrive soon." She didn't but it was a better excuse than she wanted to get back and have a shower, a glass of wine and wait for Director Krennic to finish his meetings and return to his quarters. The look on Enn's face would have been priceless had she been truthful however. Enn almost hopped on the spot however, thinking she was some genius at getting her help.

  
"Oh thank you so much. I mean he must value your opinions otherwise he wouldn't work with you much less have taken you to that ball." Enn walked back down the corridor she had just ran up from. Kitah shrugged

  
"I'm fairly sure that's not it." She knew that Krennic wasn't big on truly valuing others opinions in general, even hers despite his occasional humouring her with little things.

  
"I am sure you're just being modest. But I imagine there we're a few that had things to say about him bringing someone so young. I mean someone my age would have been a bit better suited for that kind of affair don't you think?"

  
"Oh really you can't be much older than me." Kitah said with her own dose of fake nice, she thought Enn looked at least twice her age. Worse when she had that excessive amount of make-up plastered on her features that night. 

  
"Well I am only thirty seven I'm quite lucky to be in this program." _Close enough._ Kitah hadn't asked her age at the ball and was glad she wouldn't have to share hers she knew it would have only set her off in all sorts of ways Kitah didn't want to deal with. 

  
"So where are we going? I haven't got much time if you want me to look at this assignment of yours." Kitah had never had to walk so far down into the regular personnel quarters corridors. 

  
"Oh just here..." She swiped her identity card down and opened the door to her quarters. Kitah was a bit cautious to enter so she lingered in the doorway. Enn laughed 

  
"I know it's nice isn't it? Must be awful being just a cadet. Having to share a quarters." _Nice?_ Krennic's office in his quarters was bigger than this. She was sure her quarters on Rendili was also slightly bigger. 

  
"Oh definitely. You have no idea what it's like to have to share... I swear I barely get any sleep or even a shower to myself..." She crossed her arms and rolled her eyes. _Well it is sort of true._

  
"Oh I feel sorry for you. I hated that when I was at the academy. Especially when your bunk mates snore!" She kept trying in vain to build a rapport. Kitah did not want to make time for her small talk.

  
"Assignment?" She prodded while pushing her glasses up her nose, Krennic's impatience had also started to rub off on her over time.

  
"Oh! Yeah yeah over here on my desk." Enn shuffled some things off her desk and took out a data pad as she rummaged around on the drawer for the data card she wanted. Kitah walked a few steps in towards the desk, crossed her arms and waited. Enn cursing as she went to the next drawer. "No.. no it's right here I promise... What did I do with that..." While she was rummaging Kitah noticed a shelf to the side of the desk. A strange collection of things from datapad stylus pens, sketches and plans, a glass and various other random items found on people's desks. 

  
She adjusted her glasses again when she noticed a crystal paperweight on the shelf. She reached out and picked it up examining it closer, she distinctly remembered seeing it the first time she was ever in Krennic's duty office. It was on the shelves near where Kitah read his other holotexts from. She also remembered him being livid that someone had managed to take it from his office some weeks ago, it had taken Kitah more than a moment to convince him she had nothing to do with taking it. He had been complaining on and off for a while about how things had been going. Missing over the course of months. Enn turned around and saw her with it. 

  
"Oh don't touch that you'll break it!" Kitah snarled her features up in disgust and stepped back as Enn went to grab at it keeping it out of her reach 

  
"This is out of Director Krennic's office. I remember seeing it there and I remember him complaining about it when it disappeared and I'll bet all that stuff is also from his office. I suspected there was really something off about you. I'm sure he will be very interested to know where all of his things have been vanishing to!" She sidestepped Enn who tried to grab it again 

  
"No. No it's not like that he gave it to me. Left it there for me to take!"

  
"You are insane! Clearly you are obsessed, I'm sure that won't be his version of events when I tell him!" She hit the release button on the door to Enn's quarters and stormed out, there was a crash and a clatter in the quarters as she left. Kitah didn't get very far when she felt a seating pain in her shoulder, Enn had quickly grabbed a vibroblade from her open desk drawer that she wasn't supposed to have and shot out after her.

  
"No you'll ruin everything!" She yelled as she plunged the serrated vibroblade into Kitah's shoulder. Kitah shrieked at the pain but managed to elbow Enn back harshly. Enn held onto the blade and tore it down her shoulder before ripping the weapon out at Kitah's shoulder blade. She felt the metal cut harshly into bone. She felt absolutely ill with the pain. Enn screamed at Kitah angrily.

  
"You give that back right now!!" Enn was about to take another savage stab at Kitah when she was swiftly disarmed by the Death Trooper that Krennic still kept detailed with following Kitah at a distance. He kicked the blade away down the corridor. Other storm troopers who had heard the commotion also appeared. Enn was absolutely livid. Like a rabid mynock. The black clad trooper told the others to restrain Enn who was still snarling at Kitah for 'ruining everything'. They grabbed her and put restraints on her. Keeping her there until the internal security could look into what had happened. 

  
Kitah felt dizzy. When she saw how much of her own blood was dripping onto the floor that wasn't soaked up by her uniform, she suddenly became extra grateful for it being black. Kitah realised how bad the wound was, her arm barely responding to her thoughts.

  
"Take that off." The death trooper pointed at her tunic. She fumbled with the belt and undid it, shakily undoing the clips one handed her shaking hand grabbing something from inside the tunic and slipping it into her pants pocket before the other troopers or Enn saw. She got her arm out of the sleeve and shrugged her wounded arm out of it. The blood had already soaked through her undershirt quite significantly. The trooper took the tunic from her "Sit down against the wall." She had no problems doing that. He folded the tunic over a couple of times and pressed it against the bleeding gash with the care of a field medic, next to none. 

  
"Argh! Stars that hurts!" The trooper pushed her back against the wall "Lean hard against the wall there and keep that on it or you will bleed out before a medic arrives." Kitah nodded, wincing a few involuntary tears down her cheeks as she pressed back against the wall holding the tunic against the bleeding wound. The Death Trooper stepped away from Kitah and the other troopers to contact others on his unit. Kitah could see the wheels spinning in Enn's furious brain. She was wondering what was a Death Trooper doing in this section, surely there was no need any more for her to still have one following her around after all this time and there were no other officers to be seen.

  
By time Krennic got there after his own guards passed on the message about the incident received from the Death Trooper to watch Kitah to say he was furious was an understatement. Enn was almost beside herself when she saw Director Krennic storm down the corridor to the scene she had caused. Kitah somehow felt guilty for what had happened. Even though honestly being stabbed by some other crew member shouldn't be on her. He stormed past Kitah to the troopers who were holding Enn 

  
"Drop her and Back up!" He demanded. Enn was pleased to see he had ignored her victim and was then telling the troopers to let her be, clearly he was on her side and concerned for her well being. He would understand it was self defence surely. 

  
"Oh Director thank goodness... All I did was ask her to come look at some of my work and she stole from me! I had to stop her..." Krennic glanced only for a moment at Kitah who showed the crystal paperweight that she had grabbed from the floor once she sat down. It was the one that had gone missing from his office some time ago, he remembered even trying to blame Kitah for it going missing as she was always sitting over there. 

  
"See she still has it..." Enn had foolishly drawn his attention back to her. Without warning Krennic backhanded Enn so hard with his fist that even Kitah thought she heard Enn's cheek bone crack. The force of the blow was enough to knock her right off her feet and almost into the corridor wall. He reached across to his blaster. Enn let out some sound akin to a squeak holding her bound hands up in fear. The two stormtroopers attending were a bit stunned and not sure what to do, it wasn't the done thing for an officer to take matters into their own hands like this. Krennic's own detail cautiously raised their weapons urging them to do nothing. Krennic inhaled deeply before taking his hand away from his blaster. 

  
"You speak again and I'll kill you right now!" He glowered at her. Enn nodded, her eye already turning black and her face swelling "You touch anything that belongs to me and that includes her ever again I will also kill you and I don't mean have you executed I mean I'll do it personally. Am I in any way unclear?!" She shook her head fervently. 

  
"Get her out of my sight. See to it she ends up in the brig. If she's to have any medical attention it is not to be on this deck am I understood?!" The troopers picked Enn up off the floor. "Yes sir." Enn was absolutely crushed and devastated. Especially when above all else it sank in that he had referred to Kitah as his. That coveted title that she wanted so much, all those little pieces she had denied for months finally came together. She let the troopers force her away. Another couple of troopers and a medic came from the other end of the corridor. 

  
"Who? Oh.." the doctor followed the trail of blood to Kitah on the floor. "Well now that does look nasty. Can I see what did this?" One of the troopers that came with the medic picked up Enn's blade that had been kicked down the corridor "Serrated. Well that's going to be nasty..." He leaned her forward to examine the gash. Krennic stood aside letting the medic deal with stabilising her. He then wheeled around and looked at the trooper who was supposed to be guarding her 

  
"And you! What were you doing? What part of watching her do you not understand?! I give you a task it's no different to if you were guarding me! Yet somehow you let this happen?" Kitah felt compelled to speak up, she did feel it was somehow a bit her fault for stepping just out of sight. 

  
"It's not really his fault sir I.."

  
"Ah! You shut up!" He raised a finger at her angrily. Not wanting to be undermined in front of his guards, other troopers or the medic. Krennic turned back to the death trooper he was yelling at "You will see to it that she does get to the med bay and wherever she needs to be after that. Then consider yourself reassigned to anyone else but me." 

  
The trooper nodded “Yes sir. Understood.” 

  
The medic helped Kitah to her feet. "That's gonna need some stitches, young lady flesh is pretty torn up." She felt sick at the description or perhaps the blood loss. 

  
"Just give me a moment." She staggered a bit towards Krennic who had his knuckles against his teeth. He was clearly still fuming. She gave him a firm stare for a moment; plucking something unseen from her pocket keeping it hidden in her hand as she offered to shake his. 

  
"Thank you for your concern sir." He took the hint and put his hands around hers for a moment. She handed off the code cylinder she was not meant to have to him not wanting it found by accident in case she passed out while she was in the med bay. He crossed his arms tucking it away. 

  
"You're welcome cadet." He ground out before getting to his own two guards and walking off. The medic picked up her tunic again and held it against her wound causing a fresh cry of pain from Kitah. 

  
“Sorry but you really should keep this there.” The medic and his troopers helped walk her to the med bay keeping the pressure on her wound. As soon as they left the area the long suffering mouse droids descended urgently on the scene to remove any sign of the incident.

  
Kitah sat on the medical bed, the medic took the tunic off the wound and sprayed an antiseptic spray with a bacta component in the wound to stop the bleeding and prevent infection. He cut off what was left of her undershirt and bra. Taking them off her and tossing them and the tunic in the biological waste. 

  
"Well those are garbage." He used a scanner to inspect the internal damage "Well for a woman she certainly packed a punch with that blade. That knife tore into your scapula and part of this rib something fierce. That's gonna take a while to heal even with bacta treatments I'm afraid. I mean unless you would prefer to go into a bacta tank..." 

  
“No!!” Kitah cut him off before he even finished the suggestion, wincing at the pain her overenthusiastic rejection bought her. The medic shrugged continuing with the less conventional treatment for such a wound. “Well okay suit yourself then...”

  
Kitah hissed at the discomfort even with the numbing spray when the gel was injected into the wound around her damaged bone. He then stitched the wound closed with plasti-strips and put a bacta patch over it.

  
"Well I am sorry cadet but that is going to scar. Can't do much about that with such a messy weapon. You'll be needing a sling for that arm for about a while until the bone starts to mend and this is only if you have no duties at all." The medic gave her a plain shirt to cover up with before fixing her a sling. "If you need an exemption from duty you just let me know and I'll pass one to your C.O."

  
"I'm sure that won't be necessary but if so I'll let you know." Yes it wasn't like her commanding officer didn't already have pretty vivid knowledge of the reason she should be exempt from duty for the foreseeable future now.

  
"Now I've got to go all the way down to the brig hospital to deal with your attacker." The medic sanitised his hands before heading out. Kitah hopped off the bed landing shakily on the floor. The admonished Death trooper stayed about as close to her as he would have if she was Krennic on the way back to Krennic's quarters. Before he left her there to walk the rest of the way she apologised again. 

  
"I am sorry if that was my fault you got reassigned."

  
"Wasn't. Ma'am." He nodded at her and walked off after that. 

  
She continued down to Krennic's quarters. Before she remembered she wouldn't be able to get in. What if he didn't want to let her in after all that mess? His guards stood aside when she pressed the intercom buzzer. Since the guards had raised no concern, Krennic simply opened it letting her in. He locked the door after her. Kitah started to apologise before the door even finished locking 

  
"I am sorry Orson... I knew she was unhinged but didn't realise she would..."

  
"Don't talk about that wretched woman In my presence again. Stop being sorry. It wasn't your fault. I didn't consider her anything more than a mere annoyance either." Kitah watched him go back to pacing and storming back and forth. He was still incredibly irritated. If she wasn't so sore she would probably feel the same, though she was certain no part of her was up to pacing back and forth. She looked down at the empty glass on the table pointing to it with her right hand. Kitah huffed thinking about it just being typical that she had stabbed her in her left shoulder. _Damn that bitch._

  
“Orson I don't suppose I could trouble you for one of those? I really think for once I could use it.” He glanced down at the empty glass on the table. 

  
"Medic give you any drugs for the pain? You possibly should have gone into a bacta tank for that kind of injury.” She shook her head. 

  
"I guess I didn't think it was that bad, the medic didn't really push for it. He just gave me something local while he closed it. Believe me that is starting to wear off." He conceded that it was fine for her to have something heavy to drink in that case. She walked over to the couch and sat down, her leg tucked under her in her usual fashion, she was still in a state of shock. He refilled his own glass and poured her one. He held it out to her where she grabbed it with her good hand. The moment it was out of his hand he grabbed her chin reasonably firmly. 

  
"Don't you ever try to undermine me like that in front of anyone ever again. Am I clear?"

  
"Yes Orson." He moved his hand from her chin and stroked her cheek. 

  
"I am pleased you are alright. Don't think that I am not. But you know I can't be the same person out there as I am alone with you, there was no way I could allow a cadet to try and tell me they thought I was handling a situation wrong. It was a big enough risk I took even coming to deal with the situation myself, me personally coming to deal with an altercation involving a lowly apprentice and a mere cadet? My department or not I have no doubt I will have to deal with the repercussions of such tomorrow." She nodded, taking a sip from her drink enjoying the warmth of it against her aching insides. 

  
"I understand. I appreciate so much that you did come to deal with it. I only entertained her for a few moments, I shouldn't have bought into her bantha shit that she thought if I looked over one of her assignments I could point out what was wrong with it before she 'frustrated' you with it. Guess I failed there..." He crossed the floor and sat in his usual chair. Hearing her but choosing not to chastise her further than he had already done, besides she was feeling her punishment for that foolishness now. 

  
"It took a lot for me not to just shoot that damned bitch on the spot I hope you know. She should be so lucky she only has a cracked cheek bone to worry about. I suppose you think I was too harsh on her?" Clearly he knew what damage the blow had done, confirming what Kitah thought she had heard when he struck her. Kitah reasoned she still had no real idea what he was like or how violent his erratic behaviour could get when someone made him angry enough.

  
"Of course I don't think you were. Not really when she stabbed me so hard with a serrated blade that she shattered my scapula and cut into a rib, she wanted to kill me she was not kidding about. Bone for bone is only fair. Plus I will now I also will end up with a huge scar from my shoulder half way down my back! She won't get that from a cracked cheek that’s for sure!" Krennic couldn't recall her ever truly seething in real anger before to the point of wishing harm on someone, her little snap at him a while ago was clearly nothing. He scoffed. 

  
"Maybe I should have shot her... In the leg perhaps. Close up shot from my blaster would scar up quite ugly especially after you... tampered with it. Maybe I should pay her a visit in the brig and do that hm?" The corner of her mouth turned up in a bit of a grin. 

  
"Coming from you Orson, that's quite the romantic gesture. But won't be necessary. I'll just have to live with it now."

  
"Hm you have no idea the romantic gestures I've actually made on your behalf without you knowing it. You have never wondered why there have been no more Rendili StarDrive personnel anywhere near this project again? Have a little think about that. In case you were concerned, I won't care about a scar on you. Of course I can't say the same for any of your future prospects." He halved the contents of his glass far out pacing her. 

  
"You cancelled their contract just because of what a few workers did to me? That is indeed a gesture Orson. Though a bit hard for me to even thank you for it if you don't tell me.” She then scoffed off his other line playfully “I have no future prospects you know that." She raised an eyebrow at his almost empty glass and the speed at which he had gone through it and the last one. "Orson are you sure you're not drunk?" He shrugged her question off, she was only asking based on the two she knew he had. Not the ones before she got back. 

  
"No not really. Working on it perhaps. Is that a problem for you?" She adjusted the sling from its irritating position.

  
"Hmm no more than I usually do when you're being self destructive.

  
"I'm not being self destructive. Merely self indulgent. The afternoon has been quite stressful wouldn't you say?" She nodded without offering more, slowly finished her glass then pushed herself off the couch and over to him. She leaned down and brushed her fingers through his hair and down to rest on his shoulder. 

  
"I'm going to bed. I'm sure you understand as to why. Don't overdo it or you'll feel terrible in the morning. Thank you for coming to my aid. You didn't have to do that." He reached up and absently caressed over her hand.

  
"Yes I did. Now stop worrying over me and go to bed." She kissed his cheek.

  
"If I don't worry over you Orson who will?" He squeezed her hand briefly before she walked away. He looked down at his glass swirling the amber liquid around in it. That was a pretty fair question all things considered. He liked being worried about, especially by her. He didn't like to admit to himself that feeling of genuine concern that crept in when he saw the state of her in the corridor. He emptied his glass and told himself anything he felt was purely for his own benefit.

* * *

  
She was a little surprised that he woke her up at the usual hour despite her injuries. Kitah opened her mouth to protest. 

  
"You are injured. You are not on your deathbed. I see no reason for you to fall into that old routine of lazing in bed." She raised an eyebrow. Clearly Krennic was not hungover despite whatever forsaken hour it was when he actually retired disturbing her sleep in the process. 

  
"Okay... I'm awake... But I'm clearly not going anywhere. I would love to do some work in bed but it is hard without a datapad that's actually connected to the holonet." She watched him finish putting his uniform on, she would never get tired of that. It also reminded her that once she was healed she would have to get a new one. 

  
"I would enjoy doing some work in bed too but alas your pain would prevent me." She shook her head and giggled softly at his sarcasm. Seemed he had more than forgiven her momentary lapse in respect and whatever trouble she caused by her actions. 

  
"That would actually stop you? Oh I don't think so anyway Orson. You're just to regimented in the mornings for such things." He shook his head slightly at her knowing him too well again. 

  
"One day I'll just be spontaneous and catch you off guard woman."

  
"You are spontaneous enough in other situations. I can survive without your affections in the mornings." She sat up pulling the sheet around her. Her arm still in the sling while it felt mostly better on a flesh wound level the bone ached deeply and probably would for some time, like she needed another handicap at her age. Krennic walked around to her side for a change and kissed her. She found that quite pleasant. 

  
"I'll see what I can do about getting a secure datapad with the holonet connection for you to use. Of course I don't have to tell you not to go communicating about anything that goes on here with anyone. If you do I will find out and I would find it unpleasant to dole out consequences." She knew that didn't mean he wouldn't do it no matter how unpleasant he thought it might be.

  
"I'm sure by now you must know I'd never compromise the security of this station. That would damage your career and I wouldn't do that to you." By now Krennic was reasonably certain she was not going to suddenly turn around stab him in the back to use the phrase ironically. But he also knew better than to fully give away his trust. Little bits at a time were acceptable and often necessary to get people to do things he wanted. He turned and left her there considering her claim however. Kitah heard an all too familiar hiss and beep of the door when Krennic left. 

  
She didn't like the reminder of when she had not been able to leave when it suited her. That reminded her again as to what she wanted the connected datapad for. She flicked through some notes on her own work on the pad she had. Kitah had come to the decision that she was going to sell off a couple of her improved designs she took with her when she left Kuat Drive Yards to claw back the credits she had diverted. Sure things she would have rather have held onto or she would have sold them in the first place. But she was confident enough in her abilities now that she could design other things to take their place.

  
She wanted to be rid of the guilt of what she had done hanging over her head. She wanted her freedom back in that sense. Not that she wanted to get away from Krennic per say and she had to hope he wouldn't force her to when he no longer had control over her debt to the Empire, to her or was more about freeing them both from this unwritten agreement. She was more than happy to keep things the way they were but not just because he had a way of forcing her to be there. If she took that away from him would he let things continue anyway? The man was very unpredictable at times. 

  
She threw off the blankets and began rummaging around putting on a plain shirt with a great degree of difficulty and pain. Taking the datapad she had with her to Krennic's office. Putting it down on his drawing board. She stood on her toes again. Hoping that what she wanted to go through wasn't out of her reach. She pulled down a few of the texts. She knew she had seen something of use when she went through them a while ago. "Ah hah. Hello Arquitens cruiser. I knew I'd seen you somewhere before. Now let's get ourselves re-acquainted shall we?” She took the holobook back to the couch so she could be more comfortable while she went over it.

  
Krennic had finally escaped from the innumerable amount of meetings. He had to follow up on the incident from the night before since it was an altercation between someone assigned to him and someone on temporary assignment to him. Overall it wasn't a good look, he thought entering his office. He had barely sat down when the last person's face he wanted to see appeared on the communicator. Tarkin. 

  
"Director Krennic. I heard there was an unfortunate incident last night amongst your own command?" He left it hanging like it was a question. Where as it was more of a statement. Of course he heard.

  
"An altercation between the apprentice Enn Cassar and the private contractor on temporary assignment took place, yes." Tarkin looked unimpressed. 

  
"Most unfortunate. I assume the same contractor that this particular apprentice took issue with previously?" Krennic barely hid his annoyance. 

  
"Yes. If you had let me re-assign her immediately rather than making me endure her for longer than necessary. Banning her from attending non duty gatherings was hardly a fitting punishment for her behaviour. She was shown to be mentally unstable and this attack only proves it."

  
"Director Krennic, do not attempt to shift the inadequacies of your supervision of those under your command onto me, I admit perhaps I should have done something more significant after her disrespect at the ball. However the situation has now been dealt with. I've arranged to have Ensign Cassar transferred to the Executrix brig for disciplinary action. Keep better control of your people Director or you too will be facing such actions. Do give my regards to Cadet Shae, though what girl sees in you as any sort of a friend fails me." 

  
Krennic turned it off with an indignant sound of displeasure. He suspected that Tarkin would let that blasted apprentice off with a warning and then just reassign her to make someone else's life a misery. So long as it wasn't him. The whole situation was Tarkin's fault. He assigned that woman to him to undermine him as usual. He was also intensely annoyed that Tarkin felt the need to comment yet again on how it was that someone like Kitah had any interest in him at all. Krennic couldn't very well come out and say blackmail of course, then again that was something Tarkin probably would believe.

  
Kitah looked up from the mess she had made when she heard the door hiss. She looked at the time on the datapad. Wasn't late enough for Krennic to be back she thought. He looked at the texts and data cards strewn about. 

  
"I see how it is that you forget to do basic things like wear a uniform. I also heard your lab was terribly chaotic when it was locked down. Look what you've done to my office and allowed it to spill out here. Should I even give you this or will it just perpetuate the spread of this chaos?" He held a new data pad just out of her reach. She could see from looking at it that it was comms enabled. Clearly able to access the holonet. 

  
"It might reduce it if I can actually access my own work notes. I'll put back what I can reach. Have a little sympathy for my chaos. I'm wounded, remember." He handed her the datapad

  
"You're only physically wounded. Your mind is still quite sharp." She picked it up looking it over. It was no great surprise he wouldn’t muster a show of sympathy for her predicament. 

  
"How nice of you to say Orson. Remember when you said you wouldn't trust me to alphabetise a storage room?" He smirked looking around his quarters

  
"I still wouldn't." Kitah made a half hearted swipe at him with her good arm

  
"Very funny. Are you finished or did you come here to give me this and torment me?"

  
"A little of both. No. I'm not done. I will be in a few hours. If it is at all possible for my quarters and my office to not look like a bunch of Geonosians held a deathmatch in here that would be marvellous." It was an odd reference to her, she couldn't know how much he had worked with them. Or how much he loathed them since being betrayed by them in the early days of his project. He was absolutely not concerned when their species was purged. 

  
"Well I'll see what I can do Orson. Thank you for this." She held up the new datapad 

  
"See that you use it wisely." She knew he meant don't share anything about the station with anyone. With that he left again. She went back to what she was doing, saving something from the unconnected pad she was using to a datacard and transferring it over. She finally felt a bit back in her element when she could access her own systems in over a year.

  
"Wow." She said to herself realising just how much stuff she had stored on her system. How much of it did she really need to keep? She was so short sighted, and not just physically. Determined to hold onto it all just in case. _Just in case of what exactly?_ She could have sold these designs off privately years ago and she never would have needed to divert all those credits, she could have even quit working where she was and gone out on her own. 

  
She realised now just how fortunate she was that someone so self serving uncovered what she had done rather than someone who just wanted to hand her in for the few seconds of glory it could have brought. It was an accidental second chance to deal with her bad decisions and she was going to fix it. Before it had the chance to come and bite her again, she also didn't want it to come back on Krennic if she was found out. Which it most certainly could for his... Unorthodox way of handling the whole thing. The quicker she fixed it the better she would feel. 

  
She had come up with something quite cost saving and efficient for the Arquitens command cruiser after seeing the plans for its hyperdrive and power plant array. She had started on it well before she even got here when it was still in development. She had shelved it along with all the other chaos in her lab. When she came across the cruiser again in Krennic's detailed holotexts on the Imperial weapons and ship line up it reminded her of an old proposal she had made for Kuat Drive Yards and never sent in. 

  
She amended the information that she had to bring it up to date. Fortunately KDY were also only contracted by the Empire and were otherwise an entity to themselves. Therefore she could sell her designs to them directly without having it commandeered like so much of her other design improvements. She flicked across the data showing the projected improvements to the cruisers efficiency. Heck she was certain she could improve the hyperdrive speed without the need for a larger reactor in a retrofitted upgrade or from new. She would just have to wait and see if they would be willing to pay her requested costs in return. She merely outlined what she could promise and what she wanted for it. 

  
She wasn't about to tell them how and allow them to work it out on their own. She sent off the memo to her former superior, the deputy head of special development at KDY knowing they would jump at any communication from her in a heartbeat. Fortunately this particular gem had been well hidden from her time there and StarDrive never got a chance to even look at this stuff. She would have to go through all of her old schematics and put together a detailed proposal that any of their engineers could understand. She had plenty of time to do that. It could be weeks before they responded to her offer, if at all.

* * *

Kitah settled back into her routine after her injuries healed as much as they would, it still ached and throbbed deeply from time to time and sometimes the scar stung. Still doing Krennic's errands amongst other duties she found a niche for. Today she had enjoyed a pleasantly short shift showing some other new arrivals to the station around their sector. It had given her something extra to do besides stay buried in her small office occupying herself with her projects like she had done the past weeks. Things had progressed and been resolved nicely since she had heard back from her former superior. She began to move onto refreshing other old plans to see if she could make something of them.

  
Krennic had organised the office for her as he couldn't stand the chaos she created in his quarters and his own private office when she was working. He would rather ban her from working there than have something to fight about. He liked things a certain way and up to a point had been content to make minimal changes to his routine to keep her around, but he drew the line at tolerating the chaos created by her working habits.

  
A few more days of easy shifts found her sitting cross-legged in Krennic's usual chair half out of uniform in the sense she had ditched her boots, belt and pants and taken her hair out. Sitting comfortably in her shirt and unbuttoned tunic scrolling lazily through the datapad with one hand while it rested on her knee. A half drunk glass of wine in the other. It only took a brief few seconds after Krennic returned for her to pick up that there was something wrong, aside from how late he was. 

  
He stormed in without saying anything and straight over to pour himself a drink, heavy clunks of glass when he slammed the decanter down. Something he did if he didn't want to yell at her for something that wasn't her fault, usually meant someone had given him problems. She guessed Tarkin most likely. He would say nothing and have a drink to give himself a chance to calm down. Maybe she should have gone to see him before she returned here for the day. She was about to get up out of his chair when he came out with it. 

  
"So were you going to tell me or just hoped that I wouldn't find out before you had a chance to abscond?" His icy blue glare cutting into her. She was a little stunned. It had been a long time since he had made a random accusation at her or given her a look to match it.

  
"Orson?" She prompted wanting him to go on further with his explanation. He snapped his fingers and pointed for her to get out of where she was sitting. She put the datapad on the table and moved allowing him to sit as she nestled back onto the couch in the same pose. 

  
"I really would have thought by now that you should know better than to try and get things past me Kitah. As if I would just not notice. I might have developed a lot of trust in you but don't think that means complete trust. So when I got a notification that the diverted funds, the credits you stole reappeared or more precisely became scattered back into the individual grants they were liberated from in the same random manner in which they disappeared in the first place I found it most curious so started to trace it back. While you did a significantly better job covering your tracks this time, I do have access to slicers who managed to decrypt your actions. All the way back to the original payments you received from Kuat Drive Yards developmental research department." 

  
Kitah was indeed a bit shocked that he had managed to do all that one afternoon, though he could be very productive when he had his mind set on something. She knew he was very angry, his lisp presenting itself several times in his breakdown of her actions 

  
"Orson.. I.." He interrupted her not wanting to hear it just yet. 

  
"So after putting all of this together I was just wondering when it was you were planning to disappear now your debt is paid?" She could tell he was hurt. Which in his case usually just translated to rage anyway. It meant right now he was dangerous so she had to pick her words carefully, this was not how she thought things would go. 

  
"I wasn't planning to disappear or abscond. I had done the wrong thing. I wanted to fix it. You made me want to fix it, as well as you say you hid it. What's to say it wouldn't get found out again and then it really would come back on you, not just me. It was eating at me. I wasn't deliberately hiding it from you that I had fixed it. I wanted to be sure myself that putting the funds back didn't arouse any suspicions. I guess I did make the mistake of underestimating your tenacity. But I really didn't expect you to be still watching so closely. Much less so closely that you would then get a slicer onto decrypting and tracing it!" She ended with a bit of exasperation. He was gripping his glass tightly while he took in what she said. 

  
"Oh don't come at me with that nonsense Kitah. If that was the case you would have told me what you were planning to do. If I knew you were going to pull a stunt like that I would not have given you that damn connected datapad to do it with, because that's clearly how you did it all. I stupidly fucking trusted you and didn't even look into what you did on it. But there you go. What's done is done and you're free now aren't you. How lucky you are indeed that you didn't get caught putting it all back." He drained his glass angrily. She went to get up to refill it for him but he had already gotten to his feet to do it himself.

  
"Orson..." She tried again.

  
"Don't you 'Orson' me Kitah.." He growled at her ".. Here I thought you were starting to become the one person I could count on to be genuine with me. When all the while it was a stall until you could figure out a way to get yourself out. I stupidly ceased thinking that was the case far too soon I see." He sat back down glaring at the full glass. Anything but fucking look at her. Kitah drank down what was left in her wine glass. Like she preempted the courage she would need for the next words that came out of her mouth.

  
“I will 'Orson' you Orson Callan Krennic!" She snapped, clunking the empty wine glass down on the table. "There has never been a stall or a con, no attempt to escape or get out of here. If I wanted any of that do you honestly think I would have sat around for over two weeks after the debt was repaid just waiting to endure a dose of your horrible temper if I am so 'free'? You really are nigh insufferable!" She raised her voice fully at him at the end of her piece. She just about threw herself up off the couch and started to storm off to the bedroom, she couldn't believe what he was actually accusing her of doing. 

  
She was caught at the doorway off by the smash of the glass he had in his hand hitting the floor she turned to see what had happened just in enough time to get the wind knocked out of her by him slamming her back against the wall beside the bedroom door for only the second time ever. Oh but this was very different to the first time. His forearm rested under her neck holding her there. He had his fist clenched so tightly she could hear the familiar sound of the leather of his glove straining right near her ear with his barely contained rage.

  
Kitah grabbed at his forearm pushing him back just enough so she could breathe. Krennic wasn't sure if he wanted to kiss her or kill her for what she had just yelled at him. Something she didn't even consider when she said it. He was already furious and she had provoked him even further which was never wise. He was still glaring at her when he pressed her into the wall a bit firmer. 

  
Kitah winced her eyes shut still trying to push him back pointlessly. She felt his left hand move across in front of her before he lessened his pressure on her just enough to let her breathe properly again. What she didn't realise with her eyes winced closed was he had gotten his hand across and grabbed his blaster. There was no mistaking that when she felt the barrel of it dig into her ribs however. Her eyes flew open at the realisation. 

  
Krennic was fairly certain that if she was lying she would react to that threat by begging for forgiveness or trying harder to get away. If she truly had expected him not to find out that she had paid her debt off and was planning to make a run for it there was no way she would want to get shot when she had almost successfully escaped. He would then know she had been lying this whole time playing the long game until she could get out. If he determined that to be the case he would probably pull the trigger for her sheer betrayal.

  
"If you..." He growled not even sure he could finish the sentence without squeezing the trigger. She knew he would have some meticulous thought process going on to justify his threat in his mind. It should have worried her more, but why would it. She knew she wasn't guilty of any of these things he'd accused her of. Right now she understood he was angry and stressed beyond rational control over his actions. He'd had hours and hours to dwell on this; it was no surprise he was so furious and unpredictable. 

  
Kitah wasn't going to treat him any differently, what was the point. If he had convinced himself she was lying he would shoot her anyway no matter what she said or did. It felt like an eternity had ticked by while the blaster stayed dug into her side. His face stoic and unreadable while he waited for a reaction from her. Only the anger in his blue eyes was daring her to react one way or another.

  
Kitah sighed saddened to be under such an angry and disappointed glare from him. Then she leaned back into the wall taking her hands off his forearm. Keeping his weapon where it was he pulled his forearm away from holding her in place wanting her actions to play out. To see what she would do to get away from him. Kitah instead leaned forward away from the wall and nuzzled into his neck, inhaling slowly and deeply taking him in like she always did. She put her hand up and ran her finger tips through his hair and down to the back of his neck before she held onto his tunic and rested her forehead against his chest. 

  
His conclusion came quickly and in her favour. She didn't care about him threatening her. She must have really meant it, every word. There had been no deception. No long game. He slowly released the breath he had held to keep his nerve just enough if he needed to pull the trigger. Taking his blaster out of her ribs and dropping it with a clunk onto the floor next to him. 

  
"Good girl, why are you such a good girl to me...?" He ground out the rhetorical question with utter relief pulling her close to hold her tightly. While she wasn't that shocked by his overall reaction nor his threat, he was.

  
Krennic had let himself become so wild at the thought of her wanting to escape him, to reject him or lied to him for so long and taken advantage of his trust that his rage almost got the better of him. He knew he wouldn't have been able to stop himself from pulling the trigger if any of that being true was the conclusion he had come to. It was a rare thing for Orson Krennic, but he actually scared himself a little. Oh if only she knew how easily he would have done it. In the time since he'd met her he couldn't recall any time when he had embraced her so tightly. When he held her like that for a long few moments, despite not reacting to his threat he did feel a tenseness finally leave her.

  
He gave her another start however when he let her out of his embrace and scooped her up off the floor and carried her wordlessly to the bedroom tossing her gently into the middle of the bed. He commanded the bright lights down, kicked off his boots and tossed his gloves aside. She wasn't sure what to say when he moved over her. Her mouth half open without words. 

  
"Unless you have something very profound to say Kitah... Don't interrupt me." He said, his tone smooth but commanding. She moaned softly at his voice and didn't have anything to say, much less anything profound. Krennic traced his thumb up along her jawline before kissing her deeply. His hand moved down to undo the snaps on her shirt opening it and tucking inside to caress her breast firmly through her bra. 

  
It was in a moment like this he really missed when she only wore one of his shirts around in his quarters. He slid his hand behind her undoing her bra. When she sat up a little he took the opportunity to slide her tunic and shirt off her shoulders. Kitah shimmied her arms out of them and then her bra. Krennic then threw the whole lot somewhere off the bed, settling his weight onto her, resuming his passionate kissing of her lips and nothing between his hands and the soft flesh of her breasts.

  
Kitah moaned into his kiss acutely aware he was still completely in his uniform. She was completely absorbed by his lustful and ravenous attention pacing back and forth between kissing, nipping and pawing at her possessively. He barely stopped touching her when she did manage to get her fingertips into undoing his collar to undo it. But grateful she did so. Her dexterous fingers also un-clipped his cape that slid to the floor to join what was left of her own uniform. Beyond that his weight was on her and she couldn't do much else. 

  
That was kind of his point, after such an intense moment that could have gone so horribly wrong he now just wanted her entirely and couldn't give a fuck about taking his uniform off more than necessary. He leaned down her frame enough to kiss over her breast to her nipple that he sucked hard on while still squeezing her other breast firmly in his hand. She arched back against him with an inhale of enjoyment. He pressed his tongue roughly against her nipple caught between his teeth, keeping up that torture before swapping to her other. She heard the soft rattle of his belt when he got it undone with his freehand throwing it and the empty holster off somewhere like everything else.

  
His hands pressed against her sides roaming down her torso, he too moved down her frame kissing and nipping from her breasts down over her stomach. When his hands reached her hips he just about tore her underwear down her legs to the point where it almost stung. His hands roaming firmly back up her legs to the inside of her thighs pushing them apart. Holding her still until she got the message to leave them there. He nuzzled hungrily against her mound she knew what he was up to and oh she wanted it. At that point Krennic didn't care for her opinion. He just wanted her drenched with arousal as he ached to claim her back, wanting to fuck her until she screamed. He ran his fingers along her slit bit surprised at all to find she was well on the way given his actions already. Krennic sneered with glee out of her view, pressing against the hood of her clit. That alone made her gasp and grip the sheets. 

  
A very un profound "Fuck!... Stars.. mnn Orsonnn..." Escaped her when he dragged his tongue tortuously up her flushed folds before circling her clit. Krennic just adored how despite threatening her moments ago she could so easily fall back into wanting him, enjoying his affections as evidenced by how wet he found her to be when he pushed to fingers into her to compliment the torture of her bud with his tongue. Kitah gripped the bedding with one hand. Crushing the sheet between her fingers. The other she dove into his hair. She kicked out with her leg purely from the torture he wrought on her with his slow movements. He grabbed her leg and held it against his shoulder giving her bud a soft nip before he sat up enough to speak. 

  
"This is why you get tied up sometimes Kitah. Because you just can't keep still." She let out an annoyed mewl when he stopped to chastise her. She focused and settled herself down, rubbing her leg encouragingly against his shoulder instead. Not that he didn't know what she was up to. He gave her several tortuous strokes of his tongue over her clit she hissed and whined when he stopped and moved up her frame to kiss her. 

  
"Oh I think you've had plenty of that." Honestly Kitah disagreed with him but tangled her hand tighter in his hair anyway. Her other hand running her fingernails lightly over his shoulder when she kissed him back. Liking the sweet taste of her own arousal from him. Krennic moaned with deep enjoyment of her actions. But not for too long before he moved off her long enough to free himself from his restrictive trousers and underwear.

  
Kitah then let out a pathetic, indistinguishable noise when he reached over, grabbed her by the wrist and turned her over, face down on the soft covers. It turned into a loud whine when she felt his knee spread her legs momentarily. She felt his hand tease once again over her now wet slit, eliciting a sweet moan from her when he slid two fingers back into her pussy. Feeling her drenched by his attentions. He leaned over her kissing between her shoulder blades and up to her neck, resting his forehead against her messy locks 

  
"Oh you do still want me don't you hmm? If you didn't you wouldn't feel so deliciously wanton for me..." Kitah nodded in agreement burying her face into the soft covers for a moment. Before whining again over the loss of his fingers from her core, she felt his thumb trail tortuously up her spine before offering them to her "I still make you feel like this, I wonder who else ever would..." He growled into her hair. She was barely coherent enough to think of anything to say in return though she found the capacity to lick his offered fingers clean of the evidence of her arousal. He pulled his hand away scalding her back with his touch again. She hissed back through her teeth when he pushed her legs apart a little further then felt him rub the head of his cock against her slick folds. 

  
“This is what you want isn't it Kitah...?" His words were ragged. She could barely manage an answer ruined by his torture. 

  
"Y...yes Orson .. I do... Please.." Oh he relished in the sounds of her begging. He gave her what she wanted when he slid his length into her at a lustful pace seating himself deep inside her. His action earned him the cry of pleasure she wanted out of her. He ran his hands down her arms to her hands lacing his fingers between hers holding her down with his weight. His open uniform scratching against her back while he thrust deeply into her each time. It had been a while since he was so passionate and lustful over her, a stark change from when he was so enraged and ready to shoot her what now felt like an eternity ago. Krennic squeezed her hands tightly between his laced fingers still holding her down. He leaned in placing a gentle bite to her neck speaking softly into her ear. 

  
"I don't ..care what happens from... Here on... But you will... Remember that you... Are ... Mine. Always." His claim was punctuated with continued thrusts. His tight grip on her and his weight holding her down was torture enough but that proclamation was enough to get a loud cry out of her somewhere between total bliss and agony. Another tear from being overwhelmed sliding down her face. He kissed it away from her cheek. He found her so beautiful when she was desperate and wrecked. 

  
He continued to thrust passionately into her, careless of any pain he was causing her by holding her there lost on his lust filled haze. Kitah cried out at each of his thrusts that hit against her cervix since she couldn't help but lift her arse to accommodate him and herself... Feeling her climax build. She could care equally less about the pain in her arms and hands. Even pain in her shoulder wasn't enough to make her care. She wanted to hold out longer enjoying it all too much. She inhaled in concentration biting her bottom lip for distraction. Her closeness to her climax was not lost on him however her tenseness and tighter grip on his fingers evidence enough. 

  
"Go on..." He encouraged her. "Come for me Kitah... Show me you're mine." She shook her head and tried to tug her hands free. Her messy curls shaking about her head. She just wanted to stay teetering on that edge enjoying his closeness and deep strokes. He pressed down on her hands holding tighter against her aching knuckles. 

  
"Ah... Just let yourself go... No need for these theatrics." Kitah shook her head resisting his demand. Enjoying that feeling of being on edge it only made each of his thrusts feel all the more blissful to her. It was after her continued denial he released one of her hands to brush her hair off her neck again. 

  
"Defying me?.... Oh I don't think... so my dear." Krennic leaned into her neck kissing her on a spot high above where the collar of her uniform would rest. He nipped her harshly on the same spot before sucking hard on her flesh leaving an obvious mark for her to deal with. His hand snaked back up her shoulder, along her collar bone and to her throat. He held her tightly there; hearing her breath get shallow. Thrusting hard into her. 

  
"Do as you're told Kitah." He said commandingly at her. Having to now hold himself back by slowing his pace. He pressed his hand more firmly against her neck. "You cum for me ...sweetness or I'm going to make... you pass out and fuck you until I'm done... You'll miss out on that feeling ...you're holding back from." He was right though as he robbed her of most of her breath Kitah's few remaining good senses seemed to heighten a little. 

  
She shook her head again trying to rattle his hand off her neck. Not that it worked. Instead her whole frame shook.. a ragged almost silenced scream of ecstasy escaping her. Krennic groaned pleasurably against her feeling her depths clench tightly around his aching cock finally pushing him over the edge himself. Kitah whined at the feeling of him spilling into her. Krennic swore lustfully against her, releasing his grip on her hand and neck to support his weight from completely collapsing against her. Oh he didn't think he could ever get sick of having her like that. "...Mine." He said firmly to her. Kitah nodded lazily, still very much out of breath. 

  
"... Yes ...Orson. Yours." He slowly rolled off her to simply lie on his back and inhale deeply for his own breaths. She considered whether to get up to go shower or to pleasure him clean with her mouth, though it seemed to take forever for her body to obey her brain again. She went to make a move for her latter decision when he wound his hand in her messy tangles 

  
"Leave.. it." He ground out, just pulling her close to his side. She put her leg over his a moment, leaning on to his chest where he pulled her. Kitah put her hand into his open uniform caressing over his bare chest. He just inhaled deeply again at her touch. Only wanting to bask in the warm afterglow of their love making. Krennic hoped desperately that for the moment she wouldn't speak and shatter his peace. His hand uncoiled from her hair and traced down her back, first comfortingly over that scar still letting her know he still didn't care about it. If anything it would be a permanent reminder of her time here with him. He guessed he could thank that insane woman for that in a twisted way. Kitah rested against him, her heavy lidded eyes closed for the moment, letting him have his peace while she enjoyed his idle touch.

  
When that pleasant feeling drifted away without interruption he encouraged her up so they could share a shower. As much as she didn't feel like getting up she was grateful for the hot water cascading over her. Kitah still didn't have anything particularly 'profound' to say at this point, so didn't say anything at all. Which was fine she was more than happy just to feel his hands on her again without anything being said. After washing her hair she lost track of how long he'd kissed her and caressed her before the water went off. 

  
She wrapped herself up in a towel around her middle and one on her hair. She almost stumbled over his boots and their uniform pieces in the middle of the floor. She kicked them aside nearly falling into the bed caught in freeing laughter about it before moving back to the middle of it lazily. He too stepped around the chaos wrapped only in a towel sitting down on the edge next to her a moment. 

  
"You'll manage on your own for a little while won't you?" He was the first to break their long silence. She nodded assuming what he was off to. 

  
"...You should quit that habit you know." He kissed her cheek making an agreeable sound. "Self destructive..." She murmured at him nuzzling her head into a pillow.

  
"Self indulgent." He reminded her by kissing her shoulder. Was he so predictable to her now? She looked at him wearily 

  
"I would have thought you had self indulged enough this evening." He could tell by her tone she wasn't bitter at him, he thought back to when she'd mentioned it a few days after he'd met her and he had mocked her for her concerns over his unhealthy habits saying she wanted him around because maybe she enjoyed his company. 

  
"I think you were sufficiently indulged yourself." He stroked the back of his fingers over her arm before he left.

  
Krennic walked out of the bedroom looking down at the floor, the sight of his weapon still where he dropped it along with the once almost full glass of spirit on the floor, despite what he had just enjoyed it came back to him just how close he had come to actually killing her. When he said it 'outloud' in his mind it rattled him again. He shook his head picking up his blaster, putting it on the table before picking up the broken glass and throwing it out. He must have chain smoked at least three or four ciggaras as well as actually finishing a fresh glass of spirit. 

  
He raked his hands back through his hair letting out a frustrated exhale. Whether at himself or her he didn't actually know, this fucking project was making him lose his fucking mind. It could have been done over ten years ago if Galen fucking Erso and his bitch wife hadn't been such a pair of self serving force loving pacifists, Tarkin wouldn't be constantly on his throat and he would have had recognition for making the project even happen. He'd like to have seen Tarkin do it on his own, no such chance. He dragged his hands forward again no less frustrated as he got up. When he did return she had tossed the towels from herself, she'd pulled the blankets up around her and was thankfully asleep.

  
He later lay there still unable to sleep himself, having resorted to watching her sleep instead. She was now curled over on her side, her back comfortably facing him. One of her feet stretched back just touching his leg. Like she just needed to know he was there even in her deep sleep. He looked at the lamp above her head that she had hit too many times to count. It was the first thing he ever watched her do when she woke up there over a year ago. Did she know he also stayed up and watched her sleep that first night he had her brought there? She probably didn't. 

  
He was confident in one fact before he finally fell asleep that night; he didn't deserve her affections and concerns. Not after what he almost did. He knew he was going to have a terrible time getting over his own selfish need to keep her around when it would be better for her in the long run not to. He felt she deserved better than what he could give her, that she deserved a family and someone more emotionally available than he felt he was. Letting her go would be a pain he would have to face eventually.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 2 Tracks for this one - 
> 
> 🎵[Kiesza - Cut Me Loose](https://youtu.be/8eFJTpHKEOM)  
> 🎵[The Ursine Vulpine - Without You](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F2jcxiAyARs)
> 
> Blood, Violence, Angst and Smut Oh my! 😮 
> 
> * Actual canon stuff - [Arquitens Command Cruiser](https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Arquitens-class_command_cruiser)  
> * Obvious technological liberties taken in regards to communication, data access etc.  
> * Slicer - SW Term for "Hacker" type profession.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, if you're still here you will be either happy... or sad... to know that you're a little over half way through.

* * *

Kitah had been going over the messages she had received from her former superior at KDY containing confirmation over something she had been looking into since she paid her debts. Of course now there was the part about telling Krennic. _This should be interesting._ When she did get a chance to talk to him alone in his office his reaction was about what she expected. Though she had to admit his reactions had improved since the 'understanding' they came to a while ago.

  
"Thaere Privo? Whatever for? You want me to let you off this station? Out of my sight? What makes you think I'll allow you to do that?" He raised a curious eyebrow at her request to leave the station for the first time since she had arrived there. Kitah put her hands on his desk leaned forward.

  
"So many questions Director... Sir you do remember you technically can't stop me any more, not since I repaid my debt to the Empire. For as much your benefit as mine." Kitah glanced down, noticing he had started rubbing his fingers firmly together as he was reminded that she had indeed dug herself out of that hole. She knew he was still having a difficult time adjusting to not having a hold over her. 

  
Krennic had to face the fact she had chosen to stay on the station; more specifically stay with him, even after he had basically threatened to kill her. For her continued tolerance of his temper and other unpredictable actions when she didn't have to was something he guessed he should show some amount of gratitude for. He exhaled half rolling his eyes. 

  
"So as you have so diligently reminded me of your freedom Kitah, you are indeed allowed to leave this station whenever you want so why are you even asking permission from me?" He made no effort to conceal his tone. Despite telling himself he should still be encouraging her to leave and not stay for his benefits. He was constantly at odds with it, his selfishness always winning the internal conflict.

  
"Because Director... I don't have a ship and would sincerely like some assurance that I'll be permitted back on the station after I'm done with my business that I wish to conduct." He stopped rubbing his fingers together and brought up a holomap above his desk.

  
"Why Thaere Privo?" He repeated from earlier. Kitah shrugged, trying to play down the importance.

  
"Let's say I had a little change left over after paying my debt. I also sold off a few other designs to various places since I came to the conclusion I was hoarding way too many design improvements. None of which the Empire was going to have much of a use for so I sold them off. I just kept the important things. So when my 'well meaning' former superior at Kuat told me of an old CIS set-up on Thaere that might be of interest if I wanted to set up on my own, well one day. In case I didn't want to go back to my old position at Rendili and you know why I wouldn't want to do that. Then I should go look at it." 

  
He leaned back crossing his hands in front of him staring down at the map in thought. Was he doing that on purpose just to torment her for asking? Kitah inhaled wondering if he had figured it out yet how much she loved that little furrow he got in his brow or that pose he threw when he was thinking.

  
"Clearly you have given this a lot of thought, once again not choosing to share any of it with me." She tried not to roll her eyes. 

  
"Sir I did not deliberately not consult you. I'm here talking to you right now aren't I? Asking if you will help me arrange a ship and ensure I make it back onto this station. I mean unless you would be glad to be rid of me?" _I should be. But No. Absolutely not, not yet anyway._ Krennic thought, but it wouldn't hurt her to start making plans he guessed. To have somewhere to go when the station was complete. He wasn't going to allow her to stay with it when it was fully operational. That was where he knew he was capable of drawing the line. He also would prefer she was out of that company that was borderline exploiting her. The whole situation would make it a much easier transition when he did have to tell her to leave.

  
"I have no desire to be 'rid' of you cadet. But given consideration yes I would rather see you with something that you could call your own even if it is in the middle of nowhere. Though on the Corellian trade route. I suppose that is something. As for a ship I will solve your little problem. You can have use of mine, I will have Captain Pterro take you to Thaere to conduct your business. That will also ensure you have no issues returning to the station. Will that satisfy your concerns?" She glanced over her shoulder at the door before she strolled around his desk right up to him. He rocked back on his heels staring down at her. She put her arms around him giving him a firm embrace. 

  
"Thank you Director." He raised an eyebrow at her unexpected action.

  
"Did you want something further... cadet?"

  
"Why yes sir since you asked, I'd like you to kiss me actually." Krennic ran his knuckles down her tunic pressing against her cleavage guarded by her uniform. 

  
"You are just full of demands today aren't you... My dear." He said damned if anyone walked in at that point.

  
"Just respectful requests sir. I mean except for kissing me that was kind of a demand. That if you don't fulfil said demand I am going to mess up your appearance ... For starters." He grabbed her chin firmly tilting her head back, kissing her deep like she no doubt wanted, sliding his thumb to her cheek pressing gently to make her part her lips enough for him to invade her mouth with his tongue. She had to put her hands behind her back tucking her thumbs into her belt so she didn't inadvertently make good on her threat to mess up his appearance. Leaning back onto his desk for support she felt the need to torment him more pressing her leg deliberately between his. He broke off the kiss before he'd want more of her.

  
"You will cease this making demands of me you little minx." She seductively licked his taste from her lips. He grunted with the discomfort she just induced.

  
"If I didn't have essential commitments..." He glanced at his chrono. "... Very soon I would remind you cadet that not only do I far out rank you, that you are mine. Mine to do with what I please, when I please. You may leave in the morning and not before so schedule your plans accordingly as we need to have a little; how shall we say conversation about your new found insubordination. Am I clear?" Kitah wasn't sure how serious he was, whether he was teasing or deadly serious. His tone could often be read either way. But she nodded. 

  
"You'll also be taking two of my guards with you when you go. That is a non negotiable insistence." Not that Kitah thought she would be in any danger on her little errand, maybe he thought she still needed to be watched perhaps to ensure she didn't get side tracked and choose not to return. She wouldn't dream of that. Kitah went to open her mouth to protest that she didn't need babysitting however. Krennic was having none of it, he stepped forward fully closing the gap between her and his desk. Pushing her leg down harshly, with the same hand he then grabbed her arse then pulled her against him. Holding her there and making her feel the 'frustration' she had caused him digging into her. He squeezed her arse cheek so tightly it hurt. She let out a muted whimper. He leaned down and growled in her ear. 

  
"Glad we understand each other. Now. Get. Out."

  
He stayed standing over her so when she complied she had to slide closely past him to free herself. He glared at her with his icy blue stare the whole time following her every move in a quiet predatory manner. Kitah shivered under the look but made haste for the door a flustered grin on her own features, darting out into the corridor as quick as she could. Krennic was going to have to focus on something extremely mundane before he attended the afternoons meetings and other demands of his time.   
  


* * *

  
Kitah woke up sore morning after their 'conversation' about her insubordination as he had put it. She stood in front of the mirror in a state of half dress looking at the red print from his grip around her neck from where he had held her back against him. In addition to the dark welt above her collarbone from something halfway between a hicky and an actual bite deliberately placed so as to be hidden by her uniform, but only just. A touch of embarrassment wouldn't go astray as part of her 'lesson'. Kitah was touching over the mark with her finger tips hissing back through her teeth, she took note of the red bands around her wrists from where he'd kept her bound with a belt as punishment so she couldn't indulge herself by touching him or herself for that matter. Krennic appeared behind her fully dressed. Kitah met his unbelievably innocent blue eyes in the mirror 

  
"Do you have any idea how sore I am? I mean look at me." She whined, sounding uncharacteristically petty. He ran his gloved hands over her shoulders and grasped her upper arms firmly, he thought she looked perfectly fine.

  
"Oh I am looking. You poor dear." His voice dripping in cruel sarcasm. "I didn't actually hear you complaining ..that.. much last night, quite the opposite in fact. In fact it makes me question how much of a 'lesson' you took away about trying to tell me what to do." True, she didn't complain, not that he gave her much of a chance. By time he had released her she was an equally pleasured and tortured mess. Krennic was pleased with his handiwork and it most certainly didn't stop her from falling asleep against him afterwards. 

  
"Oh believe me Orson, thanks to you even the ends of my hair hurt. Now I have to now get through my day and take care of my business when I really would prefer to spend it in bed sleeping' well a ..You.. hangover off!" He made one of his typical false faces of pretend concern.

  
"Aww. If it is sympathy you're looking for you know I have none for you here. I sincerely hope by the end of the day your lesson is learned in that case." Kitah groaned at how much he was gloating. _Iniquitous bastard._ But she would let him have his win for now, it was the only way he would give it a rest. She gave him a sincere sounding appeasement. 

  
"Thank you for the use of your ship Orson. I do appreciate it." He released her arms running his fingertips down her spine. 

  
"You are most welcome my dear." His natural smooth tone returning to his voice. Typically making it difficult for her to remain even the slightest bit angry with him. Also probably on purpose. He leaned down and kissed the back of her neck and turned away leaving her to her thoughts, leaving to start his duties. Kitah heard the sound of the door, she finished putting her uniform on after more fussing with the collar and sleeves than usual and meandered at an average pace to the right hangar bay.

  
Captain Pterro stood at the bottom of the ST-149's ramp. Kitah pulled up her collar again making sure it was done up properly then pulled her uniform sleeves down feeling slightly paranoid. She stepped onto the ramp with a slight wince. Dunstig wore a wry smile on his features, his arms crossed. Kitah saw his expression.

  
"You have some sort of problem today Captain?" Her two trooper detail following her onto the ship.

  
"Oh no, not at all. But given your obvious discomfort I can see why the Director was only more than happy to have his ship requisitioned by a cadet." She half rolled her eyes exhaling upwards flicking some loose hairs off her face when she walked to the cockpit. 

  
"Afraid I just don't know what you mean Captain." He scoffed at her sarcastic avoidance. 

  
"Thaere Privo was it then?"

  
"Yes Captain." She handed him a navigation card 

  
"Then land at these coordinates if you wouldn't mind." He took it and put it to use. Kitah looked out one of the viewports getting a view of Scarif and the station from the outside after the ship took off. She flopped down in the chair, immediately regretting the action. She groaned at her body wide aches. 

  
"Space sick?" Pterro barely hid his sarcasm. Obviously he had spent too much time around Krennic. Not surprising of course. 

  
"Oh aren't you funny Captain. I have no idea what you find so amusing." After navigating through the sea of craft milling around the battle station, he calculated the first of the jumps needed to get to the Thaere system. He strongly disliked the idea of using droids to calculate jumps. Pterro didn't like trusting his ship to those things. Over fifteen years of flying it everything about it was second nature. When he could relax and take his eyes off the controls after entering hyperspace he turned to respond to Kitah's retort just catching her pulling her sleeve down again covering the red rubbed mark around her wrist.

  
"Oh I don't really find anything amusing. I don't pretend to know what the complexities are of your relationship with the Director. Whatever they are, I am just surprised you are still here." She wondered what he meant by still here. Still here when she had the opportunity to leave? She shrugged, even that hurt.

  
"Relationship? What makes you think there even is one?" She wasn't sure how much Krennic had shared with him if anything at all. She just knew he didn't encourage her to go sprouting anything to anyone or confirming any rumours. 

  
"I have worked with Director Krennic for over what I think three quarters of your lifetime might actually be and I observe a lot as his aide and pilot. The man does not dole out favours unless he really needs someone to do something for him. Since you're as close to civilian as it gets I doubt he needs to do you a self invested favour like this. I have worked with him when he's been in a relationship so I know his behaviour. He most definitely has something going on with you of sorts and has been for well over eighteen months. Deny my observations." He goaded her.

  
"What would it matter to you if I did Captain? There's nothing sinister afoot. Director Krennic is just a good friend to me as far as I am concerned. How he is concerned might be something you'll have to ask him." Pterro found it intriguing the way she deflected his accusation. He would be sure to inform Krennic how she handled the insinuation. He let that line of questioning lie, she was tactful in both answering and avoiding. 

  
"Well, your 'friendship' as you call it has certainly been beneficial for the most part. He's certainly been more stable." He laughed to himself before returning to concentrating on flying the ship. Kitah had to choke back a laugh herself but for entirely different reasons, if who she was dealing with from time to time was 'stable' Krennic she wondered what he was like before. Pterro had to drop the ship out of hyperspace to change lanes before heading along the Corellian trade route that took them back towards Coruscant intersecting with Thaere. 

  
He followed the coordinates she had given him after breaking the atmosphere. Where she was headed was a disused complex that was once occupied by the Confederacy of Independent systems during the clone wars. With over twenty years of disuse the huge hangar, long runway and landing pads had been partially reclaimed by the Thaere's native plant life. Kitah could also see an overgrown residence nestled back in the trees. On the overgrown tarmac outside the parked ship her former Bothan superior from Kuat stood arms folded. The xenophobic Pterro couldn't help but remark after landing the ship 

  
"You're dealing with a Bothan? You know how many of them support the rebellion?" Kitah shook her head 

  
"Hu'yohr works for her own self interests and she works in the research and development department at Kuat Drive Yards. She helps build ships for the Empire, Bothan or not she's trustworthy ....enough." She muffled her groan when she got up. Messing and shuffling with her uniform and sleeves when she walked to the ramp and out of the ship. At the bottom of the ramp she turned to the two death troopers that followed her. 

  
"Look you two I'm going just there. To talk to her, she isn't armed as you can see. I really don't need you to watch me that close there's no one here but her." The troopers stepped off the ramp a few steps closer, not forgetting their dismissed comrade. Kitah sighed. Guess that was better than nothing. She walked to Hu'yohr who greeted her heartily. 

  
"Kitah! I honestly do not know how to react! You show up in this antiquated Sienar Fleet Systems T-C3??" Of course she would focus on the ship model and who made it like it was always some personal insult to her if someone was not using a KDY built ship. Hu'yohr had golden brown fur and as far as Bothan's were concerned she was very tall which made her around the same height as Kitah just a few centimetres taller, which was amusing as she always called Kitah 'little'. She was pulling at her goatee with intrigue before shaking her fingers at the ship and troopers "And are we even going to begin to talk about what you're wearing? Or your little entourage? I am not going to get shot am I? You know how the Empire feels about some of us Bothans."

  
"Just woah down with all the questions! Well you're no traitor you'll be just fine Hu'yohr." The Bothan returned to stroking her facial hair. 

  
"My, my something is different about you honey. Standing up all straight in a nice neat Imperial uniform. I thought you didn't have to wear an Imperial one at RSD or have you actually enlisted in the military? That's not like my little tinkerer at all. Aww where has she gone?" Hu'yohr sounded a little sulky. She had constantly tried her advances on Kitah when they worked together and had always been disappointed the sweet shy young human didn't swing her way either species or orientation, even more disappointed when she made some excuse about protecting her work and wanting a better position with more responsibility before she went to Rendili. But as her superior there was never much the meek human did to stop Hu'yohr's constant advances so she took what she could get.

  
"She is down there somewhere I guess. But I am doing okay. I'm on a temporary assignment to.. uh.. Coruscant." She shuffled her feet, that was a sour tasting lie she had never been to the city planet in her life. The Bothan was overjoyed for a moment when she started foot shuffling meekly, her fur swayed with her excitement.

  
"Ahh there she is." She clapped her furry arm affectionately around Kitah's shoulder, her hand coming to rest harshly in the crook of her neck.

  
"Ah! Stars not so hard!" Kitah yelped in pain and surprise. Hu'yohr recoiled quickly. Was she starburnt? The death troopers took a few strides forward with weapons raised. Kitah panting raised her arm at them panting in pain.

  
"Oh for makers sake stand down you two I am fine." The troopers lowered their weapons taking only half a step back to the one they had gained. Hu'yohr stepped in front of Kitah and her claws went swiftly to her uniform collar and un-clipped it pulling her tunic open down to her shoulder like some unimpressed parent who had caught their teenager sneaking out of the house. The overprotective Bothan growled. Somewhere between concern and jealousy seeing the marks on her neck and shoulder.

  
"Now who has worked you over my sweet little tinkerer?" Kitah's hand flew to her collar at the unexpected attack on her uniform. All that did was expose her raw wrists. Hu'yohr grabbed her sleeve and pushed it back for a better look, her muzzle wrinkled. She looked back at the ship, Captain Pterro also stood watchful on the ramp behind the troopers with his arms crossed after seeing the Bothan's overly familiar antics on Kitah from the cockpit. Hu'yohr snorted at the added Imperial presence.

  
"Was it him? Did that human do that to you?" Kitah took Hu'yohr's by the wrists and moved her arms off her with a slightly firm grip. 

  
"Hu'yohr please settle down. You don't need to be this protective over me any more and no, it wasn't anybody here so you can just rein it in and talk to me about selling me this complex." The Bothan glared at the ship not entirely convinced.

  
"Fine. Even if I do think you're full of bantha shit and not telling me something. Clearly some Imp bigwig has their hooks in to you my sweet otherwise you wouldn't be out here with your own personal guard. If you think I wont find out who it is I will." She stroked Kitah's cheek with her fur covered knuckles before gesturing to the hangar widely with her arms. Kitah flinched back uncomfortably both at the touch and notion that Hu'your would actually have little trouble finding out who that unique looking shuttle belonged to if she really wanted to. Hu'yohr restrained her annoyance at Kitah pulling away. 

  
"Well here it is my sweet. As you know KDY started buying up anything they thought might be useful right after the clone wars fire sale. You've got this massive hangar. I know you'll love filling it up with your cute little projects. There's a basic phase reactor. That runs most of it, even that electro perimeter fence. There's a residence that runs off it with a little spit polish and it would certainly be comfortable for you. I'll let you have it for a steal and let me steal a kiss of course." The Bothan winked at her. Kitah swallowed at her proposal.

  
"Well come on show me the damage then." Hu'yohr produced a data pad that was tucked in the satchel off her belt bringing up the whole contract of sale with the price at the bottom. Kitah's eyes widened at the figure when she scrolled to the bottom of the document. "Honestly are they serious? Do they even want to sell it? It's only got a basic phase reactor for that, I am going to need to upgrade that and it will take me months to get it livable. Geeze. You didn't do much to warn me about the cost!” The Bothan rolled her eyes with her whole head.

  
"Oh come on my sweet little tinkerer. Even I know myself how many credits have gone your way from my department alone recently. Surely you can afford it? Clean this place up and it's value will go off the charts. Don't you deserve to have something nice for yourself? I wouldn't complain about the cost too much. You should be thankful I persuaded someone to allow us to part with it to a treasured former employee who still sends us lots of pretty little things just like her." Hu'yohr was a pointed negotiator. Pity about her salacious tongue. But Kitah had been sold on how perfect the place could come up for her future needs, even if it would cost an extra small fortune to fix it up to her standards. 

  
"Not to mention the rich array of talented workers on this planet. Bothan's, humans.. even Twi'leks if you... Needed." She said insinuating Kitah might need some company, Kitah rolled her eyes at that insinuation. The Bothan narrowed one of her eyes a bit. _Where did she get that habit from?_ Kitah had always been too meek to ever roll her eyes in front of someone like that. Sure Hu'yohr had always done it but to see it on Kitah made her fur flutter a little.

  
"Ugh. Fine. Hu'yohr I'll take it as is. For what they want to part it from their little property portfolio it should come with a small fleet of shuttles!" Hu'yohr grinned her muzzle revealing her teeth. 

  
"Excellent. Well if you're a good little girl I'll see if I can find an old LAAT lying around and I'll tuck it in the hangar for you." She handed Kitah the datapad to complete the transaction. Kitah reluctantly parted with her credits. 

  
“Pfft a LAAT? For that cost it should come with an old Venator!” She would no doubt be judged about her spending decision by Krennic if he got the chance to see what it cost in its current state. The Bothan licked her teeth when Kitah handed back the pad. 

  
"Oh sassy, that is also new to you. I like it. But so sweet. Well since you refuse to tell me where you are working now I guess I will have the deed and other items stored in escrow for you to collect at your leisure." She stroked her goatee as the transfer finished processing. She showed Kitah on the screen before putting it back in her bag. She then grabbed Kitah by the back of her neck and uniform collar pulled her to her muzzle and kissed her, lashing her long tongue against her lips at the very moment Kitah had cried out about being grabbed and tugged on.

  
"Mnn. My sweet little tinkerer. You should have given into me I would have worshipped your mind as well as your body." Hu'yohr held her firm by the back of her neck knowing it was actually hurting her as she prodded Kitah in the chest with her finger. Bothan's were quite strong for their stature. Kitah shuffled back from Hu'yohr remembering all too vividly why she really left KDY swatting her hand off her neck. She knew what it was going to be like to deal with her, but it was the best way to acquire such a property. Kitah would probably never have to deal with her ever again. It still didn't make her feel any better about being accosted. 

  
"Um. I'm sorry you know how I feel. It isn't anything to do with your species. I'm just not into... Well you know..." Kitah hugged her arms around herself feeling uncomfortable as the memory of many a cornering by her former superior came crawling back into her mind. Hu'yohr sneered waving her hand at her.

  
"Oh but you are into whatever Imp did this to you." Gesturing to her body. "Telling me you enjoyed this kind of treatment? You were once too sweet for this. You would have been terrified of any man that could do this to you. I know what you were like. You avoided men at all cost anyway. Could you blame me for wanting you?"

  
Kitah steeled her voice and features thinking about just who that man was and how much he despised those actions this Bothan found so attractive in her like meekness, shuffling, mumbling and fidgeting. Remembering she had handled worse than Hu'yohr in recent times and despite how awful she had just made her feel she managed to muster up some of her new found firmness. 

  
"I don't blame you, but I have changed. I am not that same person you were besotted with, just as you said I'm more confident than I was. I most certainly do not hate what I get into bed with if you get my drift, now please stop these antics Hu'yohr! I really need to go I only have a loan of his ship for a short while." Hu'yohr snorted gritting her teeth together when Kitah let that detail accidentally slip. 

  
"I knew it. Own captain and elite guards? What ever Imperial bigwig you're fucking Kitah he must be someone very shiny in the brass department. Wonder how you got yourself into such a position for any Imperial officer to get into your pants in the first place much less a high ranking one my sweet little tinkerer!" Kitah stepped back towards the shuttle again awkwardly, only to have Hu'yohr step into the vacated place in front of her. She did kind of wish for a moment she could just tell Hu'yohr who's 'hooks' she had in her and who's ship that was. It might have made her back off. Might have. 

  
"I'll await my documents and items." Kitah said curtly before Hu'yohr could start up again. The Bothan rolled her shoulders and growled softly through her teeth.

  
"Oh they'll be there you can trust me. Yes. Well at least I will know where you will be one day if I want to collect on the favour you now owe me." Hu'yohr patted Kitah's shoulder roughly and purposely before giving a mock salute to the Captain and troopers near the shuttle. Kitah let out another involuntary yelp. The Bothan withdrew her arms folding them across her chest. Tapping her hoof on the tarmac. Kitah gave one more look around her property before quickly making her way back to the shuttle up the ramp, she sure hoped it was worth it and not in just the financial cost.

  
"Can we go. Now please " She muttered at Pterro not even breaking her stride heading past him and up the ramp, even though she had stood up to Hu'yohr in the end she still felt terribly uncomfortable by her advances and that forced kiss. The front she had managed to muster did not last as long as she had hoped, but it outlasted being in front of Hu'yohr so that would have to do. Pterro was half tempted to overrule her and tell the death troopers to take out the Bothan but since Kitah clearly needed her to process her business he let it go. 

  
Signalling the troopers off the ramp before he was ready to take off. Pterro launched the ship and was skilfully in the hyperspace lane before Kitah even noticed. She sat in an uncomfortable crumpled heap in the co-pilot's chair. Not bothering at all to fix herself up, sleeve up and collar open. Not hiding her rough state at all. Clearly the Bothan's treatment and attitude had dredged up things she didn't want to think of. She glanced up when she felt a hand on her shoulder. 

  
"I warned you Bothan's are bad news. Are you alright?" She sighed and nodded. 

  
"Thanks Dunstig. I'll be okay. I knew she was going to be hard to deal with. But that was more difficult than I had anticipated. Still it was a necessary evil." He took his hand off her 

  
"Best you remember to straighten yourself up before you get off this ship." 

  
She had tidied herself up back to the most neat she could manage. She re-tied her hair from Hu'yohr's pawing and fastened her uniform and after thanking Captain Pterro and the detail she wanted to quickly make her way back to Krennic's quarters. Kind of torn between wanting to be alone and wishing Krennic was there. The Director was however in his office when Pterro let himself in to give him the report he would be expecting. Krennic sat up from concentrating.

  
"I see you are back from your little excursion. Do tell how your little investigation went? Did she confide in you or speak of any details of what goes on between us?" Krennic was rubbing his fingers together in an anticipatory manner more than stress for once.

  
"Denied any such notion as best she could, knowing that I of course could know much of what goes on with your daily routine sir. She ended by stating you were merely a good friend and that if I actually wanted to know more I should ask you." Krennic was a little bit proud of his lover, she certainly was not just a good friend. But as he wasn't exactly forcing her to stay any more lover was an accurate title. But the fact she tried to keep that to herself was admirable.

  
"Well I do as always appreciate your assistance Captain. I realise the trip was an extracurricular use of your time, I'll see that you are compensated. You may go." He nodded respectfully and went to leave but paused after a couple of steps, it possibly wasn't his position to say but from what he knew it would be better if he did. Krennic pressed his fingers together firmer knowing that if his aide had stopped after being dismissed he was probably going to hear something he didn't entirely like or agree with. 

  
"Might I add sir, I observed the day's activities were quite stressful to Cadet Shae. That Bothan she had to deal with was borderline abusive to her. Unwanted advances and such. Of course Cadet Shae stubbornly insisted none of us step in. In case you go wondering why we did not defend her from such actions." Krennic squeezed his hand tightly together at the thought of a mite infested Bothan having its hands on what he considered strongly his property. 

  
"You are still dismissed Captain." Pterro left hastily, hearing the dangerous edge in the Director's tone.

  
Thoroughly glad to be on the other side of the door in Krennic's quarters Kitah kicked off her boots and pulled her tie hair out. Grabbing her data pad so she could check up on the transaction processing.

  
Krennic returned later than he had planned. When he looked over the top of the couch he found Kitah had slumped onto her side still in her uniform having only dropped her boots off. She didn't look that peaceful although she was definitely asleep, otherwise she would have stirred when he came in. Going out to Thaere and back in one day could play havoc with a time difference giving someone who didn't do a lot of travel cause to be exhausted in addition to whatever else she had endured. He leaned over and pulled her datapad out of her grip going through her transaction and the attached details. He put a blank datacard into it and copied all the relevant information onto it and putting the card away for his future use if necessary. Before putting her datapad back down on the table near her deliberately with enough of a clunk to rouse her. She sat up realising she had drifted off and wasn't alone. 

  
"Orson... Sorry guess I nodded off."

  
"I trust everything went well with your business?" He made no notion or mention that he had looked through her details or heard from Pterro how the things went.

  
"Yes, yes I think I made the right choice at least. I mean I bought it, possibly at an exuberant price. Guess I just have to decide when to do anything with it. I thank you again for the use of your ship and pilot of course." Krennic nodded, wondering if she would come clean about her day without prompting.

  
"Quite alright." Kitah hung onto his words, curious to see if he would add more. When he paced off to the bedroom. Kitah inhaled a deep breath getting up. Krennic was in the midst of removing his uniform when Kitah spoke up while starting to get out of her own. Suddenly remembering she had wanted a shower so desperately before she nodded off. 

  
"Orson?" He looked at her wondering if she was going to skirt around the issue with some version of truth like usual, perhaps complain more about her aches. 

  
"Something on your mind Kitah?" He shrugged out of his tunic.

  
"I am going to guess Captain Pterro gave you a report of what happened?"

  
"Oh of which part? How you held up to his trying to pry answers out of you as to the nature of our relationship or how a mite infested Bothan had its filthy paws all over you?"

  
"Uh.. well yes both of those and I am sure that she doesn't actually have mites..." Krennic cut her off surprised.

  
"She? Well I guess he left that part out as did you until now. Not that it matters. He said you seemed quite uncomfortable with the situation." Kitah removed her own tunic and undershirt.

  
"Well yes I was. But I handled it okay I think. I think it made me so uncomfortable because, well because you asked a while ago as to why I didn't stay working for Kuat Drive Yards as opposed to where I am now? Well more of the truth to that is... I left in a large part because of her. She was my superior and took an unhealthy liking to me. I mean in addition to them actually taking some of my work. But that was the main reason. " Krennic stood closer to her looking over how her marks had progressed. When he reached and undid the snaps on her bra she flinched a little

  
"Or... Orson please I am... still very sore and I..."

  
"Don't you dare start flinching at me when I touch you." He said, short on patience. "I'm not going to do anything to you." He brushed the straps from her shoulders and took it off. "That is unless you continue to descend into that incessant rambling again." She shook her head, strangely relieved by his chastising of her bad habits once again. Reminding her more that she wasn't the same girl that Hu'yohr had pinned over constantly.

  
"No, I wasn't going to." He steadied her as she stripped out of the rest of her uniform. 

  
"Good. Now go in there, take a long hot shower and get any remnant of that filthy Bothan off you before you even think about getting in that bed and that will be the end of it hm?" Under his 'advisement' she had spent quite a while in there having the long part of a long hot shower until she felt guilty. While she was definitely tired and still quite sore she was glad Krennic held her in that possessive way closely against him that night. It helped chase away the unpleasant memories dredged up by the worst parts of the day, to her it was comforting. To him it was a manifestation of jealousy and determination to seek retribution at some stage.

* * *

  
  


Kitah had gotten over her encounter and things returned back to what was considered 'normal'. Aside from her taking the occasional trip back to Thaere to do some work at the complex every now and then. She asked Krennic if he had wanted to see what had cost her so many credits. He instead gave her the impression he wasn't interested in seeing a run down CIS base. She didn't take it personally like who would be interested honestly? She felt she was just being polite in asking, since he kept giving her use of his ship to go there. She did say that Hu'yohr had procured an old LAAT as part of the sale like she had agreed leaving it at the base for her to use. He told her she could use it when she had no other option. 

  
Krennic wasn't letting her bring that piece of junk to his battle station. Even Captain Pterro laughed at her when she told him she had even suggested it to the Director. But when she said she had a ship she could use, Pterro asked could she even fly a ship. She retorted a little too defensively that of course she could. Course he had followed that up with asking her could she fly one with any degree of skill. That line of questioning led to him showing her how to manually calculate a hyperspace jump amongst a few other skills he thought she could use. 

  
The Director had been correct in his assessment, the girl was a fast learner and quite gifted when it came to anything mechanical. Dunstig could see why Krennic kept her around, sure she wasn't the first 'pretty young thing' he had seen the Director mess around with. But the first one he had noticed him keep around for so long, that he took liberties and did favours for her. 

  
Krennic's last long term relationship was a politically motivated thing try as he might to convince himself and others to the contrary, even if she had not gotten tired of the Director he most certainly would have gotten tired of her and endured it only long enough until he could get out of it and not affect his career in anyway. Kitah was so ordinary in terms of stature it had to be nothing of the sort, there was nothing she could do for Krennic career wise. Like he had told her before, having her around had made working with Krennic much more tolerable. Pterro would probably regret her not being around whenever that time came. 

  
Krennic was so angry about the day that the only thing he could do was nothing, well nothing he could get away with right at that particular moment. He stormed back to his office after the unexpected call up from Tarkin, anyone that saw him coming quickly made an excuse to get out of his way. It was not a scheduled meeting. The details of which infuriated him to no end. Just Tarkin fucking around with his project trying to show some authority over it the only way he could since he was too much of a soldier to understand anything about the project in actuality. 

  
Might as well ask the man what made the Executrix tick. He'd have no fucking idea. Tell people where he wanted it flown or what he wanted shot at. That's how it worked as far as he was concerned. So to keep one boot on Krennic's throat at all times he had to mess around with things he could control like the manpower and funds to build the battle station. This time it was manpower, his orders this time particularly fucked with Krennic's day to day life in a way he hoped Tarkin had no idea about. Maybe he did. Maybe that was the point.

  
Krennic unlocked his desk drawer searching for the flask of something strong he had fortunately refilled for occasions such as this. When he plucked it out of the drawer he saw a datacard hidden underneath it. He could only just remember bringing it there. Tossed in the drawer along with plans to get some form of retribution on that filthy Bothan for daring to touch something he considered his. He had more or less intended to get her removed and disgraced from her position at KDY and make sure she could not work anywhere in that sector ever again. 

  
But his mood was so apoplectic that suddenly coming across the card made him decide he needed to take a more personal approach. He stuck the card into his own datapad accessing what he had copied and using the details to send off a message marked urgent to the Bothan. He had accessed a clone of Kitah's messaging program to do so making it appear Kitah was the sender, she would have to get a very good slicer on it to dispute it. 

  
Kitah had given Krennic easy access to all of her data accounts after that little incident between them months ago as a show of good faith to him that she had no intention of hiding anything she did on her datapad from him any more, it was a gesture that saved him having to get a slicer onto it again like he fully planned to. He was more than happy to finally have a use for the access. Krennic started to work on the contents of the flask while waiting for a response.

  
Kitah looked at the message that blipped up on the screen of her personal datapad. From Krennic. That was odd he didn't normally send her messages like that. She dragged the pad over the chaos of her desk. 'My presence is required elsewhere. Will not be back today.' She figured the message was innocuous enough should it have been seen by others. She found it interesting he bothered to message. It's not like he hadn't disappeared several times for varying periods without apology or explanations. Watching the holonet undisturbed and a glass of wine felt like a brilliant plan for the night.

* * *

  
Hu'yohr felt like she should have resisted the urge to answer the message. But like it said in the message perhaps Kitah really did want to clear some air. She stroked her goatee while she paced back and forth looking around the complex. Looks like Kitah had actually been spending time at least starting to clean up the residence or at least getting someone to do it for her. Perhaps to move into it at some stage? She glanced over her shoulder when that ugly looking antique ship pierced the clouds and landed not far from her shuttle. 

  
She walked over to the ship wondering to herself would she get a chance to steal more than a kiss this time. Especially if she thought she could get Kitah to show her around the residence out of sight of those pesky black troopers and the ship's pilot that was. Hu'yohr did however come to an awkward stop when behind the detail of death troopers that came to a stop at the bottom of the ramp was not Kitah nor the black uniformed pilot appeared as before. But an Imperial officer with a white uniform and cape. Hu'yohr squinted and snorted watching him stride over. So that was the Imperial bigwig who owned the ship, she had seen him more than once before at Kuat. 

  
"Oh well if it isn't Director Krennic, who would have thought you would step out of the gilded palace that is the Department of Advanced Weapons research on Coruscant to come all the way out here and mingle with us commoners." The Bothan had a low opinion of any research facility that wasn't her own and an even lower one of Imperial facilities in general as they were direct competition. The irony. She made some gesture as if she was sarcastically greeting royalty. Krennic sneered inwardly. His features remaining unphased and stoic outwardly. 

  
Hu'yohr had little respect for his department. If anything, any dealings that she had to have with them when it came to co working on the Empires on weapons on their own ships was a painful slog through red tape. "Well that explains a few things. Like the ISB showing up to my department wanting to know how a certain cadet might have got their hands on Grand Admiral Thrawn's mission reports concerning the stresses of micro jumps on the ISD Hyperdrive. Guess that was you?" She had totally forgotten to confront Kitah about that little incident.

  
"Well Hu'yohr, the Deputy department head of research and development at Kuat Drive Yards, I mean since we are clearly throwing around titles, I think you'll find that it was probably Grand Admiral Thrawn himself that had them come look into your dealings. The matter of a cadet looking into his partially redacted mission reports probably came up in conversation while Kitah was being waltzed around by him on Empire Day." Thrawn had enquired with Krennic about it when Krennic was stuck enduring his little interrogation that evening. The Bothan huffed tilting her head unconvinced. As it was she was having a hard time grasping that Kitah had anything to do with Director Krennic much less the Chiss Grand Admiral.

  
"Grand Admiral Thrawn? The Grand Admiral Thrawn? Pfft Director Krennic I have heard about you and your dark sense of humour however I find that a very vivid fantasy."

  
"Oh I understand it must be very difficult for you to accept how much Kitah's circle has been elevated since my involvement in her life. Something she could never have got from the likes of you." Hu'yohr tried to steer the conversation away from him trying to insult her and back to her issues with him and his involvement in her little tinkerers life specifically. 

  
"Well then I guess I'll have to be content knowing I can now put a face and a name to whomever it was that roughed up my sweet little tinkerer." His hands were clasped in front of him giving a casual appearance but he clenched his fist holding any rage he had in for the moment, how dare this fucking bitch refer to Kitah as 'her' anything. Krennic could however quickly gauge how this overbearing female alien despite her short stature would have made the Kitah he first met feel like a quivering wreck considering how she made the stronger woman he now knew behave all uncomfortable.

  
"Yours? I fail to see how that might be. Roughed up? Hardly." He drawled at the end of his sentence.

  
"Well she certainly looked like it from the state she was in when I saw her here last." The Bothan shook her finger at him. Showing she wasn't intimidated by him or his rank. Krennic crossed his arms over his chest, tapping his boot rocking back and forth on his heel. He rolled his eyes with a half shake of his head, barely suppressing the grin that came with her accusations. 

  
"Oh Bothan if I had truly roughed her up like you are insinuating she would have been in no position to come out here and get molested by you." He shook his head and swayed back and forth a little making a show about her inaccuracies. So Kitah did go tattling to someone she thought. Hu'yohr tapped her chest trying to fake hurt feelings, she could give as good as she got from Krennic when it came to sarcasm. But unfortunately her sarcastic little facade was no defence against his cruelty. Krennic saw right through her little act.

  
"Molested? Oh is that so? As much as I'd like to have done that..." She licked her teeth between her words, some of her fur swiping back and forth rapidly. "But we're not talking about me, are we now Director? What do you call the state she was in then? Bruised and battered? Yelping from the slightest touch?!" Krennic wasn't the slightest bit incensed by the Bothan's accusations. Especially when he could see that she was seething with jealousy. Jealousy over something he had and she didn't. He continued to press on the sore spot now that he had found it. 

  
"I call that a very pleasant evening if we're being honest here, believe it or not she started it. Kitah is not as sweet and innocent as you would like to believe Bothan. She knew exactly what she was doing. I swear that little minx just likes to wind me up because she knows what will happen to her eventually, she might have been sore but she was certainly satisfied." Hu'yohr ground her teeth glaring at the self serving smirk on his features while he recounted and it made her feel even worse when she remembered Kitah's claims of not hating what she got into bed with. 

  
"You are sick Director you know that, I don't believe a damn word of it. I can't believe you would hurt a sweet little creature like Kitah. If she really is anything like you say then it is something you have brought out in her! All I did was steal one little kiss from my old flame, hardly what I would call hurting her. Speaking of why isn't she here? Did you actually do something to her? Maybe you killed her for trying to run off out here?!" Hu'yohr had no idea that he had already almost killed her once upon a time when he thought she was actually doing exactly that.

  
"Oh not at all..." He knew the Bothan was lying about Kitah being an old flame, so that didn't worry him that much at all but the thought of this flea ridden beast taking a kiss from Kitah without her say so made his anger harder to contain however he took a deep breath to keep his composure together a bit longer and looked at his chronometer. "...If anything she is probably still asleep in my bed. She is a terribly difficult girl to rouse you know. Well perhaps you wouldn't know since she has never slept in your bed now has she?" His tone turned to his cruel brand of sarcasm. 

  
"Of course I understand she must feel so terribly threatened by me, I mean why else would she have slept completely naked and so trusting in my bed against me every night since I first met her well over a year ago hmm?" He patted his chest with a smirk watching how his cruel tirade was getting under the Bothans skin. “Guess she didn't tell you how she begged and screamed for me that first night? Best fuck I have had in living memory... Oh I mean I am sure you know what that’s like anyway, Kitah being an old flame and all.” That whole scenario hit a nerve he could tell. Hu'yohr could see the glint in his light eyes. She clenched her teeth so hard she swore she broke one and almost spat her next words at him.

  
"There is absolutely no way known that she would have had the confidence at all to even speak to the likes of you much less fuck you on the first night! Never in a million lightyears would she do that!!" She made wide sweeping gestures of denial with her hands. Of course she couldn't help but get hung up on the idea of Kitah naked in a bed but her muzzle and brow furrowed at the thought of it not being hers. _Well over a year in this...this Imperials bed!? How could my sweet little tinkerer do that! Turn me down so many times but accept this man into her life instead?!_ Painfully she felt he really was indeed telling the truth at least in regards to sleeping with her little tinkerer among other things she was certain of by now.

  
"The galaxy works in mysterious ways." Krennic offered a satisfied look in his eyes over watching the way Hu'yohr had fallen apart over the way he essentially crushed her with words alone. As was his forte. Surely he didn't call her out here after all this time to just do this to her. He could have done it immediately after Kitah bought the place.

  
"So clearly she didn't call me out here you did. I guess she doesn't know about this little meeting then?" The jealous rage he had put her in still evident by her snorting.

  
"No. I would like to keep it that way. Truly I just wanted to have a little chat with you about this property of hers. Very soon. Possibly later today she is going to get some news that she doesn't want to hear any more than I did. It means she will probably be making the move here sooner than she thought and out of concern for her since I will not be able to spend much time with her here... I need to know she will be safe. I am sure you understand." Hu'yohr's crestfallen stance changed to one suddenly swelling with pride and renewed interest, if he wouldn't be around then it would give her a chance to visit more often and work on talking Kitah into staying away from him. Her fur twitched excitedly. 

  
"Well I mean of course she will be safe, I've already been keeping tabs on the place for her. This planet is quite safe and reasonably friendly with the Empire so I am sure you will be happy with that. But I am of course more than happy to come here and help keep her company from time to time. I am sure we could iron out whatever misunderstanding we had. I guess you do actually care about her. I mean calling a meeting with her friend to make sure she would be fine out here all by herself." Krennic held his chin with his right hand letting his thumb stroke over his bottom lip considering her words. 

  
"Oh yes I do have a tendency to care about things that belong to me." He let that statement sink in. Hu'yohr's mouth fell open with shock at his smug admission, just who the hell did he think he was? 

  
"Belong to you? She's not some piece of property you can own Imperial! That's all you lot ever think about isn't it what you can own or take over, guess a person's life is no different. Next time I see her I'm going to tell her what you think of her. Make no mistake about it I will... Urghh!”

  
Hu'yohr was knocked back off her hooves by the unexpected blaster shot fired by Krennic, she had been too busy ranting at him to notice his left hand slipping across to his holster. She felt her lung burning in addition to feeling like she had been kicked in the chest by an ikopi. She gasped for air and held onto the wound, her fur smoking between her fingers. Krennic knelt down just out of her immediate reach wanting to watch her suffer up close. 

  
"Kitah tells me you were quite offended by my antiquated ship…” He held up his blaster where the downed Bothan could see it "... I am guessing you are slightly more offended by my antiquated blaster then. You can thank 'my' sweet little tinkerer for that. While it doesn't fire as many shots as it used to without needing to be recharged it most certainly fires with enough power now that I really don't need more shots." He gestured with the tip of the blaster at the smoking wound Hu'yohr was holding. 

  
"Of course you know that now don't you... to be honest I had not had the chance to try it on anything living until now." It had not quite dawned on Hu'yohr that she was not getting off this planet alive. 

  
"You... Can't... Do this..." Hu'yohr ground out in agony. Her mouth had started to fill with foaming blood from her burned and shredded lung.

  
"Oh I think you will find that I can. You just be sound in the knowledge Hu'yohr that when I finish with you here I will go back to my quarters where the object of your affection will still be sleeping... wake her up and fuck her until she screams for me. All the while with her not knowing that I took a little trip down here for the exclusive purpose of blasting your brains out as my way of dealing with a little stress. But I will know and I'll enjoy every second of it." 

  
Hu'yohr's pained expression turned to one panic mixed with deep hurt at his words, she was jealous and saddened also worried. Clearly her sweet little Kitah had no idea what he was truly capable of. As Krennic stood up she coughed and spluttered and grasped desperately at his boot. He pulled it back from her desperate grasping, stomping harshly on her wrist before brutally laying a kick into her other side. A sickly crunch was heard beneath Hu'yohr's uniform. 

  
"...And that was for the way Kitah was returned to me the last time she was here and you had your filthy paws all over her. We both now know that won't happen again. Don't we?" 

  
Hu'yohr couldn't scream or cry out with her blaster wound and now shattered ribs on the other side. She gave him a defiant look, hoping against hope that he would consider his punishment to be done and just leave her in the state she was in and be done with it. If only she had twigged sooner that when Krennic was only more than happy to divulge what his involvement with Kitah even consisted of because he had no intention of letting her live to even talk to anyone about it. He had planned to kill her the whole time but it was not enough to simply do that. No, he had to see her emotionally defeated first. 

  
"You.. can't.. she .. you.. don't.. dese.." Krennic fired into her head blowing her brains out in a sparking mess like he threatened. It was nothing at all to him to end her miserable life. 

  
"Deserve her?” He holstered his blaster “...Oh I already know that." 

  
He finished the dead Bothan's half spoken sentence before stepping nonchalantly over her still smoking corpse. Krennic signalled two of the additional death troopers he had brought with him. "Clean that up." By that he meant get rid of the corpse and get rid of her ship. "Let's go." He barked at Pterro, who couldn't exactly say he was displeased at what just happened to the Bothan. Krennic was going to have to keep it to himself for a while that he had ever seen this place.  
  


* * *

  
Kitah mumbled something dragging the sheets up over her head that she buried deeper into her pillow. She thought she had felt Orson sit on the bed next to her. Which only meant he'd be trying to get her up soon. She wasn't sure what time it was but she already knew it was well past when she should have been up cursing herself for not setting her own alarm. Krennic must have snuck in at some insane hour and was probably up again on a meagre few hours of sleep. Kitah couldn't remember feeling him come to bed, the wine must have really gotten to her or so she thought. She pulled her arm from the sheets and swatted in his general direction. 

  
"Ugh fine Orson I'm up. I'm..." Her fingers had swiped over him and rather than coming into contact with the fabric his uniform like she expected they had gone over bare skin. Her swiping hand fumbled around and found her glasses putting them on as she unfurled out of the sheets "...Up?" When she focused on him she noted he was sitting there only in his black trousers. She grabbed his wrist and looked at his chrono noting the time was well past when either of them should have been on duty. 

  
"Who are you and what have you done with Orson Krennic? Why aren't you dressed and why did you let me sleep so late?" He shook his hand loose from her grip rubbing her thigh firmly through the sheets. 

  
"Are you going to continue to ask questions that have answers of no consequence or...." He gripped the sheets above her thigh pulling them down off her torso making her shiver at the sudden removal of warmth "... Are you going to show your appreciation of my morning spontaneity by being a good fuck? Isn't this what you wanted Hm?" Kitah felt like her jaw was going to fall off as her mouth dropped open. If there was a greater word than unexpected she would have used it to describe him right now. Had he even slept at all? She wasn't used to that kind of language from him at this hour, he seemed strangely invigorated. She on the other hand was too busy being stunned and confused by his demeanour 

  
"I..uh..I um..." He smirked and pulled the bedding off her completely, dragging her down the bed by her ankle. 

  
"Tell you what, while you think about that I'll get started."   


Much later into the morning Kitah stood barefoot and almost naked against the bench of the small kitchenette, her dark blonde hair a dishevelled mess. She slid a hot mug of caf she had made in his direction when she heard him walk up behind her. She inhaled the smell from her own cup. A morning spent with him that didn't involve one or both of them getting ready for duty was almost unheard of. 

  
He had made her scream for him, she felt how passionate and needy he was for her almost like he had something to prove. Krennic pushed the mug safely to the side. Moving her hair off her neck leaning against her inhaling her scent. His hand came around her going inside his open shirt that she had thrown on. She heard an odd sigh from him, disappointment? Had she done something wrong and didn't realise? She wanted to ask but thought it best to wait for him to speak instead.

  
"You need to leave soon." He announced. She looked around, a bit confused. Why let her sleep in and then do all... that just to tell her she had to leave soon anyway?

  
"Uh.. no I don't I don't have any duties I need to …" He cut her off sharply having avoided the conversation long enough. 

  
"No Kitah. I mean you need to leave this station soon."

  
Krennic felt her tense as she put her cup down and went to turn around. He stepped closer and held her there. He didn't want to look at her face just yet knowing she was going to react harshly. Admittedly she wasn't going to react so harshly that she would go out and murder someone, he hoped. Kitah struggled a little. 

  
"Orson what do you mean I need to leave? Wh... what did I do?!" She tried to push back from the counter and turn around. He grabbed her hand off the counter by her wrist and put it behind her back holding it there with just enough pressure, a long forgotten show of force. He needed her to calm down and listen. 

  
"Hush. You didn't do anything. It is no one's fault. Certainly not yours. Things are happening with this project and the security level has been raised. All cadets, labourers and even private contractors below a level three security clearance are being removed from the station. I couldn't get you an elevation in clearance that high without an explanation as much as I would want to. Tarkin oversees these kinds of things, he went over my head and gave these orders. He would then know I'd be trying to give you preferential treatment, he would figure it out that you haven't been here this whole time merely assisting me as a... friend and colleague." She could hear the strain in his voice. A mix of anger, frustration, disappointment perhaps regret. Either way his lisp became apparent again at the end of the sentence. 

  
"Would it really matter so much if he did?" While she knew that Krennic and Tarkin had a rivalry she had no idea the length and extent of it. They had been at each other's throats for over fifteen years and had gone to great lengths to undermine or torment the other. 

  
"To say that Tarkin would make your life very miserable if he thought it would negatively impact me in any way would be an understatement." She exhaled slowly bringing calm to herself, she guessed she saw where he was coming from. He felt the rigidity go out of her where he had his hands on her, he cautiously loosened his grip hoping she would remain calm. 

  
"How long do I have until I have to leave? Will I even see you again after that time?" He was relieved by both things that came out of her mouth. Her acceptance by rationalising that this would happen whether she liked it or not, she just wanted to know when. Also not wanting to reject him or push him out of her life just as quickly as he happened into it. 

  
"Few days. That I was able to insist upon. If you do truly want to see me I'll make sure it happens. As for how often I can't say. Could be few and far between." He cursed inwardly at what he would consider weakness. He should have told her no. Right then and there. He could have been done with the whole thing, free of having to be concerned about her in any way. Sure she would be angry. Finally be that woman that would throw things at him and curse him out. But she would be free to take advantage of her young years and find someone more befitting, settle down and all that rubbish that he had no interest in at all. 

  
But the same narcissistic traits of his personality that wanted to push her away also desired to keep her close at hand. He still wanted to take advantage of the feeling of being cared about, worried over and to have someone close that didn't judge or scrutinise him. To exploit the fact they didn't recoil from his needs, his touch or volatile nature in general. _Maker Damn it to fucking hell._

  
"So what do we do now? Go on duty? Somehow make it through the day under the burden of knowledge?" He let go of her wrist, moving his hand under the shirt and up her back. 

  
"No. No. We will stay here. Keep the whole fucking mess locked outside that door for one damn day. Dunstig will field what he can. If I have to take a few comms I will. Other than that my plans consist mostly of self indulging in drink and ciggara's..." He let the sentence hang cruelly feeling her posture drop with despondency. He smirked unseen by her before he purred in her ear "... And make love to you, ravish you, torment you and have you do the same to me until we're both aching and exhausted." Kitah's breath escaped her. Her head weakly dropped forward, her hair almost in her caf. She let out a whimper at his plans. Krennic pulled the shirt down her back and kissed between her shoulder blades. 

  
"What do you say to those plans?" She slid the cup of caf she had made for him closer murmuring from under her hair. 

  
"I say you should drink this and perhaps another after that ..."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Two tracks for this one :  
> 🎵[Sam Tinnesz · Zayde Wølf - Man or a Monster](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pEnPq_fa8z4)  
> 🎵[Les Friction (feat. Emily Valentine) - I Remember](https://youtu.be/o_ziCTLjoVo)
> 
> * [Thaere Privo](https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Thaere_Privo)  
> Planet/System that took the side of the Confederacy of Independent Systems during the Clone Wars.  
> *[Sienar Fleet Systems](https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Sienar_Fleet_Systems)  
> *[Delta Class T-3c Shuttle ](https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Delta-class_T-3c_shuttle)  
> *[Bothans](https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Bothan/Legends) Guess it wasn't many in this case eh?


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 11k Words, bit of location and character development.

* * *

  
Kitah spent the weeks after leaving the station trying find some vestige of normalcy. It was made easier thanks to the written orders from her good friend, Director Krennic that allowed her to get most of the contents of her old lab relocated to Thaere from Rendili. When they delivered it to the base she looked at the delivery orders to see it was a different superior than before. She asked what was that all about. The StarDrive freighter pilot told her it was quite odd, not long after the orders were received to ship all these crates out here he was fired along with several other staff. Kitah pretended to be just shocked while she signed for the crates. Pleased to see her few personal possessions she had in her work quarters there had made it across too. 

  
She had then spent days walking every inch of the perimeter ensuring the fence integrity, there were so many shorts and holes it took so much work to get it all going. But alone there she felt much better when it was finally working. She worked from the early morning, cursing her entrenched wake up time to late into the night. The routine having helped finish the work she started a while ago on fixing up the residence, to clear the encroaching plant life from the tarmac and shoo the native wildlife from the hangar in between tinkering around with things she hadn't seen in eighteen months.

  
One afternoon of a particularly frustrating day she rested against the wall of the hangar. Looking at her calloused hands and turning them over. It had been a while since her hands looked like that. But it was a satisfying look. Last time they looked like that she had been working for someone else's cause. Not her own. She looked at the state of her clothes, untidy and filthy. Kitah had to laugh as she pulled herself off the ground. She narrowed her eyes as she heard someone calling out from the front gate. Kitah took her blaster out of her holster and meandered to the gate.

  
"Can... I help you?" She tapped her blaster against her thigh idly. There was what looked like a local man standing at her gate. He was scruffy looking with his hair stuffed under a cap. Kitah adjusted her glasses, he looked in his thirties. 

  
"Uh well maybe ya can. I mean if ya can't then that's okay..." Kitah picked up that his accent held the edge of a wild space locale. Maybe the man wasn't so local. 

  
"Well, to know if I can you'll need to ask. What do you want?" The man took his hat off and abused it in his hands 

  
"Well, there's talk in town about someone openin up somethin at this old base and I was... I was kinda hoping that there might be some work?" He looked down at her blaster "I mean, I'm sorry if it's just you miss then that's okay I'll..." She held up her hand and opened her gate, she could probably use some help depending on his skills. That way at least for some things it wouldn't be her hands getting torn to shreds. Where was this guy when she had kilometres of fence-line to check?   


  
"Don't judge me mister. Just because I'm here alone you assume I couldn't have work?" He stepped sheepishly in the gateway. 

  
"Well uh I'm sorry I didn't think it was cos ya were alone. It's well... Yer just a kid." Kitah laughed at the very idea putting her blaster back in the holster.  


  
"A kid...? Well that's a nice sentiment and all. But no I'm not. So, is there some sort of unemployment problem on this planet that I do not know about?" The man laughed rubbing the back of his neck 

  
"Nah, not tha' I know of. Just in this locale maybe. But I can't go movin for work. Ya see me wife Tsmree would have none a that. Her family lives here and they're all pretty close. Ya know what Twi'leks are like with family." Kitah raised an eyebrow above the ridge of her glasses, well at least her question on how local he was had been answered clearly he was the one that had moved to Thaere which was in the expansion region. Far from wild space, Scarif had actually been closer. 

  
"You are married to a Twi'lek?" The man quickly realised he might have said too much as not everyone was accepting of inter-species marriage and this woman was new to the area. 

  
"Uh, yeah. Yeah I am. That's not really a problem on this planet."

  
"It isn't a problem for me either. I was just curious. So what is it exactly you do that made you think about coming here to look for work?"

  
"Oh I'm a lot of things miss. But I'm a mechanic by trade. Worked on a lotta of different ships and vehicles. Me dad used to work for the republic during the clone wars. Passed it all on to me. I've worked on jus about everythin." She looked down at her calloused hands again. 

  
"Well... I mean I could probably use someone who's good with pulling things apart. I don't usually need to fix too many things, but I could expand into it if there's a call for it. I mean I have no problems pulling things apart. But hey I might drop a hyperdrive or something on my leg or worse one day and no one would know about it." She laughed halfheartedly at the thought. 

  
"No one at all? Ya really out here all by ya self? Dontcha work with someone or have someone?" Well that pinched a little. Kitah didn't want to say too much, but perhaps showing her cards a little might dissuade any notions this man might have about messing with her if he wasn't as genuine as he seemed. 

  
"My assignment in the military just finished, I was in the private sector before that. Did a little stint as a cadet. Didn't really work out. I didn't want to move back to Rendili and go back to my old job so here I am.

  
"The military? As in that Imperial military... You're with the Empire?" She threw his words back at him in a banter. 

  
"That's not a problem for you is it?"

  
"Well na.... I mean I don't worry about the Empire either way. The missus kinda does but she worries about everythin'. So ya really just struck out here on ya own at yer age?” She laughed at his parental sounding worries. 

  
"That sounds like concern. I can take care of myself. I see an officer friend from time to time. But you know with the rebel activity and all he doesn't have alot of time." She noted the mans features went suitably pale with just the right amount of respect. He seemed suddenly a lot less concerned about her well being in that sense.

  
"Oh.. well that's okay I guess... so uh.. you think you would have some. Work for someone like me then?" Kitah leaned on the open gate. 

  
"Tell you what.. come back in a few days and I'll have some odd jobs for you to try out. I'll see if you're any good at what you do and if so I'll talk about giving you something more permanent ...?" She left the sentence hang, enquiring after his name. 

  
"Oh me names Adarn miss." She held out her hand to shake. 

  
"Kitah. No need to keep calling me miss." The man put his hat back on and shook her hand 

  
"See ya in a few days then." Kitah closed and locked the gate after him. She hoped if he did bother to come back that he could do the work. She looked around before heading back to her residence. Least it would make it less work to fix the place up. She hadn't even been there that long and she could already feel that lack of sleep deficit returning. 

* * *

Adarn shook his head, this was just the latest crazy thing he had seen his boss plan to do in the couple of months since he had started working there. "Ya know what a bad Idea I think this is dontcha? I thought ya was kiddin' with this..." When Adarn did return Kitah found him to be just as good as he said he was when it came to mechanics both putting together and taking apart. Which for her projects suited her just fine. It had not taken the man long to realise that his young boss was quite eccentric, maybe even a little mad. But she was friendly and more than happy to give him the work. She'd spent a lot of effort getting the base up to a usable standard. She broke her thoughts and laughed, pulling her hair back into a messy tie and adjusting her tied overalls around her waist. 

  
"Aww come on Adarn, live a little. What's the worst that could happen?" He checked some systems tapping a few displays, he didn't like it when she asked that question. Usually it meant she knew what the worst was that could happen and if he didn't guess she didn't tell him what that happened to be until after.

  
"Oh I dunno ya turn us all into a crater with ya cobbled togetha turbo laser and power generator?" She brushed him off. 

  
"You really have got to learn to trust me." He looked up when he saw an unusual black shuttle fly over. 

  
"Trust ya? You sure that ain't Imperials coming to repossess ya weapon here?" Kitah looked up at the unique shuttle, a smile gracing her features. Adarn always thought Kitah looked a little down behind her brown eyes even when she was giving the reasonable impression of being happy. Of course now he knew that was far from the truth. When she actually smiled at that shuttle her brown eyes smiled too. More so when she gave him a playful retort. 

  
"Oh I rather doubt it. Maybe they're here to arrest you for doubting your ...CO?" She laughed, almost dropping what she was doing and wiping off her hands and heading back towards the large hangar, an actual slight skip in her step. Now Adarn was really curious. He'd never seen her drop her work like that for anything, especially a weapons test. Least of all for a clearly Imperial shuttle, maybe this was her officer friend he had barely heard anything about since she mentioned it just the once. 

  
With both doors to the hangar open she could see through to ST-149 as it landed in front. Adarn had followed her after safely powering down the generator. Naturally he was quite surprised that whoever this officer friend was, that they had access to their own shuttle much less something that unique.

  
Kitah walked up to the shuttle in time for the landing ramp to hit the landing pad. Captain Pterro was actually first off the ship. Since she was no longer in the military for all intensive purposes she greeted him informally "

  
Dunstig. Nice to see you after all this time. I'd actually give you a hug for old times sake but as you can see I'm filthy." She had become rather good friends with Krennic's aide by time she had left the station. He gave her his usual wry smile. 

  
"I'm wearing black ma'am." He stated with a single shrug. Kitah laughed at his statement and gave him a friendly hug and quick kiss on the cheek. 

  
"So did you bring Director Krennic with you or is this a pick up?" She certainly wouldn't have minded going back to the station for a visit.

  
Adarn watched the exchange from a close enough distance to see her hug the officer on the ramp. His vague knowledge of Imperial navy ranks suggested that the man was a captain. Well that seemed about right. Explains the fancy ship that he had probably borrowed from his superior. Krennic gave a slight cough before he came down the ramp, accompanied by his usual Death Trooper detachment. Captain Pterro knew he probably didn't approve of Kitah's friendly but innocent greeting. So he stood well aside. 

  
Adarn now couldn't believe what he was seeing. Whoever the other officer in white was would have to be some form of top brass that was for sure. Travelling around with not just a stormtrooper guard but what he'd heard of as 'death troopers' a form of elite stormtrooper. The white uniform also gave it away, an Admiral maybe? He couldn't really remember all the ranks and uniforms that well. Kitah wanted to hug him as well but she was oily and filthy. Krennic gave his guards a wave to stay with the shuttle while he and Kitah stepped away from the ship. 

  
"So you finally had time to come out and see me Director? No time to even give me some notice?" He looked around the large hangar that was of course as he expected was absolutely chaotic full of ships and machinery in various states of disassembly or repair plus a lot of other material that he couldn't quite name at first glance. 

  
"My dear I don't have nearly as much time as you think I might." He stepped closer to her wanting to kiss her. She instinctively put her hands up wanting to protect him from her work induced filth. Krennic looked further into the hangar at Adarn who quickly pretended to be doing something with a random piece of junk rather than staring at them stunned. Krennic raised an eyebrow in the direction of her employee.

  
"Ah I see. Why didn't you say something to me sooner? I mean it is all perfectly understandable I suppose that you would finally get involved with someone a bit younger and clearly like minded who has much more time for you than I have as of late." He was doing his best to hide his hurt and annoyance, feeling that really it was no surprise. With the way things were going with the station he had barely been able to make time for her a few messages or comms here and there but this was his first visit, to see her anyway. He exhaled through pursed lips. Kitah picked up his tic immediately as she took in what he said and looked over her shoulder realising his ridiculous conclusion she snapped her head back to him. 

  
"Orson..." She hissed too quiet for Adarn to hear "Don't be so ridiculous. He just works for me. For your information he is also married to a nice Twi'lek girl. You should know I'd never dream of doing something so hurtful to you. If I truly wanted nothing to do with you I would tell you no matter how hazardous to my health that may be." He held his chin in thought considering her words, now he would have to try not to show too much relief. Kitah sighed, she still admired how he looked when he was focused on something. 

  
"If that's the case then why are you holding your hands up to keep your distance from me? It did not seem a problem when you greeted Captain Pterro." She looked down at herself then at him again. 

  
"For a man so brilliant you have some.. hmm obtuse moments. Look at me I'm filthy, sweaty and covered in dirt. You as usual are pristine. Dunstig is my friend. I am nowhere near as concerned with getting dirt on the man with a friendly hug." He shook his head at his reaction and put his gloved hands on her cheeks.

  
"Obtuse hmm?" He kissed her deeply. She let him tucking her hands in her back overall pockets to restrain herself from pawing at him. She licked her lips when he let her go. Oh yes she had definitely missed him. 

  
"....moments. Obtuse moments I believe I said. Now would you like to come meet said employee of mine who is doing his absolute best to pretend he isn't just standing there staring. While I am sure he is also inwardly terrified. As I may have skirted around the fact I was involved with well... you ... For security's sake... all I mentioned was I had an officer close friend I saw from time to time but that was all. Though since you seem to have felt fine to come here unannounced I guess security wasn't that big of a concern." Krennic looked over at his ship again 

  
"Well Captain Pterro isn't about to say anything about what I do, it is my shore leave after all and I will go where I please and see who I want and you know my guards would never compromise my whereabouts. Besides... This isolated little planet really? Maybe you should have gone to Tatooine. I hear property is dirt cheap there too... well... sand cheap. Least the trade is more frequent." She laughed and started walking with him across the hangar. 

  
"Hmm maybe because Tatooine has almost no Imperial presence and is run by the Hutt's? No thank you, doubt you would come to visit me there at all. Besides. There's at least an ocean here, beyond this forest. I needed somewhere where people didn't care if I blew things up. Why do you think this place is so far from the closest town? Hey Adarn, if you can drag yourself away from your work for a moment come meet my good friend." 

  
Krennic didn't mind that she called him that, at the very least he definitely was a friend to her and would do almost anything within the scope of his command for her if she ever really needed it, she trusted him and he mostly trusted her and all that by his standards that was a lot. He still felt that he should really distance himself from her for her own sake. Of course that process of thought had so far fallen over every time he had tried to do that.

  
Adarn was trying really hard not to be intimidated. When Kitah said she had a friend who was an Imperial officer he expected something like a captain or a lieutenant tops. It was also pretty clear that he was a bit more than her 'friend' from the way he had kissed her. 

  
"Adarn; this is Director Krennic from the Empires Advanced Weapons Research department." She gave the title that would gain the least questions in line with her former security clearance. 

  
"Uh.. um.. Pleased ta meet ya sir." He did offer to shake Krennic's hand after wiping it as clean as he could. Fortunately Krennic was thankful for his gloves and took up the gesture. "Advanced weapons research eh?" He suspected there was more to that story given his rank insignia and entourage. "Well that explains how she knows ya I guess. She's forever blowin' stuff up. As a matter of fact ya here just in time to see her no doubt do it again..." Krennic raised an eyebrow in Kitah's direction before looking back to Adarn. 

  
"I can't say I've witnessed her blowing anything up. But this hangar does most definitely resemble her idea of a comfortable work space. Just bigger and able to hold more... Chaos than the last lab she had. Perhaps allowing her this kind of space at her disposal is unwise." She smirked watching him clasp his hands in front of him and look around.

  
"Oh is that so Director. Well if you want to watch me blow something up walk right this way." Krennic noted she had become very confident and a little sassy since she had been on her own and mistress of her own devices for months now. He kind of liked it on her especially when she could pull that off and still be clearly respectful to him, at least in front of others. 

  
Kitah headed out the back of the hangar again where there was a long runway cleared out there for larger ships, not that she ever used it for that. Adarn rolled his eyes and went to start up the makeshift power plant again since the one that ran the place would not have coped with what she had in mind. When Krennic got a look at what she had outside he grabbed her arm gently pulling her back towards him. 

  
"Tell me that is not what I think that is?" He pointed at the large weapon mounted on a recoil dampening rail. She shrugged coyly. 

  
"Well that depends on what you think it is Orson." She said knowing Adarn wouldn't hear her referring to him on a first name basis over the power plant noise. 

  
"Well it appears to be a medium twin turbo-laser off one of our Star Destroyers not that I would have any idea what one looks like down to the last rivet!" His sentence trailed into a hiss of quiet exasperation. Kitah smiled and looked over at it and back at him. 

  
"Well, then no I can't tell you it isn't what you think it is because you don't like it when I try to lie to you. Actually Adarn thought your shuttle was the empire coming to repossess it from me." He looked at her sternly. 

  
"Am I?" 

  
"Of course not. It's only borrowed. I am sure the Engager won't miss it while it is in at KDY to have a severely compromised main engine swapped out and a reactor overhaul." Krennic knew he should probably be saying something to someone about her messing with Imperial technology when technically not doing anything for the Empire per se. That said she was no rebel and if anything came of her testing and tinkering the Empire was likely to benefit one way or another. 

  
"Great so you even know what star destroyer it's been pulled off of. That's just great. How did you even get it, much less get it out here...?" She wandered over to the control panel seeing Adarn heading back from the power plant. 

  
"You aren't my only friend in a high place, Director. Apparently since Hu’yohr quit her job her superior was quite happy to hear from me so I still do a little work for them, a favour was easy to call in. But rest assured Director you are my most... appreciated." He made some sort of noise of acknowledgement, he felt he was better quitting before he heard something else from her that he couldn't un-hear. Just as Adarn got back to the console and yelled over at her. 

  
"It's not gonna hold for long. Ya might get one shot out of it." She looked down the runway at what ever poor unfortunate shuttle she was about to test her borrowed turbo laser on. 

  
"And just what are you testing anyway Kitah?" She smiled not wanting to give too much away. 

  
"Oh you know, Director. Just my life's work." He knew what that meant. Whatever it was that she had diverted all those funds for. To still be in the testing phase? It would want to be good. 

  
"And what exactly is it?" She picked up another control box. 

  
"Secrecy is not only your forté. Let's just say it would be a game changer for close quarters ship combat amongst many other applications I am sure. If it works I'll tell you If it doesn't then guess you'll have to wait until I figure it out to know."

  
Adarn shrugged "If it makes ya feel any better sir she won't even tell me what it's meant ta do.... I only know what it's not meant ta do..." Kitah glared 

  
"Oh be quiet you. Just be ready to fire when it's charged." She flicked some switches on the first control box. Adjusting her glasses when she looked down the field. "Ready?" Adarn nodded. 

  
"Yeah, she'll fire when ya want." Kitah pressed a button on the control box watching as what looked like an ordinary ray shield crackled to life on the ship on the runway but the ship seemed to be flickering in and out of view. Krennic squinted at the ship wondering if it was meant to be a cloaking device. "And fire!" She yelled. At the second the turbo lasers fired the field around the ship collapsed in on itself crushing the shuttle nearly flat before a secondary explosion rocked the field like an aftershock of the collapse instantaneously as the turbo laser fire flew through the collapsed field as the turret flew back on the rails into the shock dampener. 

  
The power plant poured steam out of its cooling system as Adarn rushed to shut it down. There was a massive explosion of dirt and trees in the distance when the turbo laser shots found something to hit as opposed to the shuttle, fortunately there was nothing out there but vacant land for miles. Krennic watched curiously at the plume of smoke and dirt going up into the sky. 

  
"I take it that was not how you expected that going Kitah?" She crossed her arms and looked at the aftermath of the test. 

  
"Well.... It was almost stable for a few seconds longer than the last time. So I wouldn't call it a failure."  _ A unique perspective. _ Adarn also thought differently 

  
"Ya know boss I'd really hate ta see what ya consider a failure to be ... Ya little toy there almost blew the stuffing out of tha power plant and half the trees with it! Told ya it would be overkill to have for a not even stable test. It's gonna take days to repair that new plant. Ya aren't gonna have time ta test it again before ya gotta send it back yanno." She sighed he had a point there. 

  
"Have to start somewhere Adarn. But on that note I think I'm done for the day." Adarn was still dealing with screaming alarms and steaming systems. He held his arms out exasperated. 

  
"Oh ya really just gonna leave me with all this? Fine. Fine. I get it. I'll shut this down and close up. Ya owe me boss." She nodded. She knew she did. But she wasn't going to waste whatever unknown quantity of time she had with Krennic on tidying up after a failed test. 

  
"Director...Now I could use a drink. Couldn't you?" He could hear a little disappointment in her voice try to hide it as she did. 

  
"Of course." She was about to head out of the hangar in the direction of her residence before she paused looking over at his guards and thinking of them and poor Captain Pterro as well. 

  
"Orson, will they all be okay? I mean if you stay? I mean that's even if you can stay..." She fell quickly back into her old habits it seemed. 

  
"I haven't seen you for a few months and you start rambling again. They will be just fine. That shuttle is capable of staying in space for months. I doubt any of them will suffer greatly for one night." She shrugged happy but also sad when he mentioned one night. Only one but it was better than none after all this time. 

  
"You know me, just being considerate."

* * *

  
  
Kitah was very glad to be inside her home at the end of the day. Krennic had expected it to be chaos. But no, apart from a room that seemed to be her own idea of a dedicated home office it was neat and tidy. He looked over at her 

  
"I see now why you didn't like wearing a uniform before you encountered me." She looked down at her state 

  
"Well yes... I'll fix that in a moment." She kicked her work boots off near the door so she didn't traipse dirt in everywhere. She pulled her hair out and headed for the refresher. "You know what I really miss...." She called out while getting undressed.

  
"What's that then?" She jumped when she didn't realise he had followed her so closely or quietly. 

  
"Ah Stars! You know what I am going to do to you Orson? I am going to get a lothcat bell and tie it around your neck to stop you sneaking up on me already! No what I miss is water..." He scoffed in amusement at her sassy little threat. He leaned against the door frame staring at the tips of one of his gloves.   
  
  
"I would very much like to see you try. Though I had hoped you might have had other plans for things you were going to do to me. Since it is so far out of my way to come to Thaere. When I could be spending my precious little leave time at the base at Scarif." She undid the knot in her overalls and stepped out of them tossing them, her shirt and her undergarments in the general direction of the sonic washer. 

  
"We will see about that after I've regained some humanity."  She brushed her hair when she got out of the shower. Noting he was looking through some of her texts. He had relaxed most of the way out of his uniform with his boots off and cape hung near the door, gloves tossed on her table and along with his belt and holster. His tunic over the back of one of the chairs. Once again he could have been almost anyone just in that shirt and pants. 

  
"Find anything interesting in my collection?" She queried taking his belt and holster off the table laying it down over the back of another chair. He turned over one of the texts in his hand.

  
"Well by interesting I still see your reading and understanding level for someone mostly self taught is still exceptional." He turned and paid closer attention to her. She had only thrown a night shirt on since getting out of the shower. The sonic shower had turned her hair very straight. It was now much longer than he had ever noticed. She went into her kitchen and found a new bottle of some variety of fortified wine and glasses. 

  
"Well I also have reading your entire library to help with expanding my knowledge." She put the glasses on the table filling them. She felt his fingers in her hair, instantly making her let out a sigh. 

  
"This seems much longer than before." She turned around to face him, handing him a glass.

  
"Of course it's longer you just haven't noticed it before because I've never been away from you for months since we... well met." He couldn't believe it had been months. 

  
"I've certainly missed your affections, I've missed you not being there for me. I have missed you in my day to day life as a whole. I did not realise just how used to you being around I had gotten. If I could get your security clearance raised and have you back there I would do it in a heartbeat." Krennic was displeased that all of those admissions came just a bit too easy to him. That was as close to a verbal admission of any feelings he may have had for her that she felt she was likely to ever get off him. Kitah picked up her glass and headed around to sit on her couch. 

  
"I guess I've coped with missing you the same way you have no doubt coped. Burying myself in work." He followed and sat next to her. She offered him a toast 

  
"To being buried in work..." He clinked his glass into hers. Not that it was something he felt like toasting to. But he also knew she was being a bit sarcastic. She looked over him stroking his face letting her finger tips tracing up into his hair that she could have sworn had gone more silver than light brown since she saw him last. 

  
"I see no one is worrying about you when I'm not there to do it in person hm? That whole project has aged you so much since I saw you last. I don't like what it does to you. I am sure having Tarkin on your back has not changed." He took a sip of the strong wine, listening to her concerns over him. Having her talk about them via a comlink or messages didn't give him a true idea of how much she genuinely worried unlike when she was inches away from him. But he would prefer her to not think he needed such concerns from her. 

  
"Oh so you finally admit that you think I'm old Kitah?" She couldn't read his tone but wasn't going to be tripped up so easily by him, least not so early in the night. 

  
"Hmm no I don't because you're not. But this is what stress does and the ways you deal with it do not help. So please don't confuse me not enjoying the sight of you being stressed with me not liking the way you look." She took a heartier drink from her glass. "You won't get rid of me that easily, I mean unless you actually do want to." His look was almost insulted, try as he might to tell himself it was just an act. 

  
"Now why would I do something as insane as deliberately remove a beautiful woman from my life who is obviously more than content for my company?" He still knew he should be doing exactly that, getting rid of her. As hurt as he instantly was at the thought of her having found someone else a tiny speck of emotion in him wished she had. Of course that tiny speck was immediately swept under a rug where it belonged as soon as he had kissed her. His selfish need to enjoy the way she made him feel was much more important as usual. 

  
"I don't know Orson, nor do I care. You're here. You made a special trip to come see me on your shore leave and I appreciate it." She took a few hearty sips from her glass. He did the same before looking at his licking his lips at its unusual taste.

  
"This wine is quite strong for you I would have thought. It's almost like liqueur. Very expensive I'd imagine." She leaned against him inhaling the scent of him and the heady wine that stirred around her. Thaere's proximity to the Corellian trade route had its perks and a little bit like him she didn't have anything else to spend much of her credits on. Of course no where near on his scale.

  
"Well yes it was actually. I say... We drink the whole bottle and start on the next one and not worry about either of our respective projects for at least a little while..." She smiled up at him.

  
"How terribly self destructive of you my dear." He kissed the top of her head inhaling the scent of her hair. 

  
"Merely self indulgent." She smiled, finishing her glass and stealing his line. So self indulge they did. Krennic in particular enjoyed a drunk and playful Kitah, she had regaled him with the tales of getting the place up and running. While he enjoyed being pleasantly buzzed, as opposed to happily drunk like her he couldn't think back to if she had ever been like this with him before. He had no trouble persuading her out of that pointless nightshirt she had put on, pulling her from his side over onto his lap. 

  
Oh yes this he missed. He had begun to wonder how it was he had not even entertained the idea of taking on any... female distractions to deal with the stress; having remained something akin to what some would call faithful over these months as it was terribly unlike him. He wasn't trying to, it just happened, but when he had her back where she belonged; naked, against him, with him, wanting him. It had felt right he knew immediately how he hadn't strayed from her. He just hadn't wanted anyone else but her.

  
Neither had to care how much noise they made making long overdue love on the couch. She'd ended up putting deep scratch marks into his chest, just as he'd left her with various nips over her breasts. Even a dark hicky on her neck when she had collapsed against him. He snared his fist in her hair kissing her forcefully upon his release. Kitah was too drunk and content to care how rough and needy he had gotten with her. He had sat there fresh with the tingle of afterglow for some undisturbed amount of time. She had it seemed, passed out against him. When he carried her to bed putting her naked frame under the covers. Smirking as her many words about hangovers and feeling awful in the mornings sprouted in his general direction would no doubt come haunting her by daybreak. She mumbled in her stupor pulling the blankets around her and nuzzling into her pillow. 

  
"I do love you Orson Krennic... I really do..." She mumbled and trailed off. He heard her quite clearly and really hoped she would be too drunk to remember saying it by the morning, otherwise he would have to deal with the implications of her confession. Nothing he wanted to do right now. He brushed her hair off her face. 

  
"I know you do. That is so unwise." He said more to himself than to her. He sighed before finding his blaster and putting it on the side table out of habit more than anything. His guards weren't that close. He finished undressing and settling into her foreign feeling bed but pulling her against him made it feel decidedly less so. 

* * *

  
Kitah groaned as she opened her eyes. Before pulling the blanket back over her almost hissing at the brightness of the natural light coming in, she must have forgotten to dim the windows before bed. She heard a not altogether unfamiliar laugh. Staying under the covers she ran her fingers over his smooth bare chest. 

  
"I am guessing you are amused by my plight hmm Orson?" He hung on her first words of the morning, waiting to see if she brought up the last thing she said before falling asleep. 

  
"Oh not at all, I was just thinking about how often a certain young lady would frequently tell me don't drink too much. Should you have that much? You'll feel terrible in the morning amongst other things and here she is now under the covers hiding from a little daylight hissing like a fengla. Where as I am sitting up here enjoying the natural light it really is quite nice." She rolled over avoiding more of the light all the while her head felt like it was in a vice. He put his hand under the blankets running it down her back. It was cold by her standards and made her shiver. 

  
"Orsonnnn must you do that?" He kept doing it with his familiar amused scoff. 

  
"Mine to do with as I please remember." She reluctantly gave up trying to hide from the brightness and shifted above the covers putting her leg over his. She blew some of her still straight and wispy hairs off her face, trying hard not to squint at the light. 

  
"Oh yes sir. Of course I remember. Hm you never let it go long enough without reminding me for me to forget. Well almost." Her action brought his attention to her messy but still straight hair as he stroked his fingers through it a moment. Speaking of remembering things he was still thinking of the drunken words she mumbled as she fell asleep. She had said them so she at least thought about saying them to him outright. 

  
For how long now he didn't know, but she still didn't know what he was really like. Sure she knew a lot about him, a lot more than anyone else but not enough to justify her declaration and he had always known that would be the case. She, like any other woman that got a glimpse into the darkest aspects of his nature would be unable to reconcile with it and reject him. His expression turned a little distant before attempting to prove his point to himself. 

  
"I killed her you know." He stated in such a casual tone Kitah thought he might have been joking about something for a moment, she waited a few moments for some kind of punch line. Only responding when that didn't eventuate from him.

  
"Huh? Killed who?" She sat up to pay closer attention to him. Krennic gave some sort of a half shrug while he stared over her as if he might have been getting one last look at her naked in bed before she threw him out. 

  
"The Bothan that sold you this base. Blasted her brains out right on the tarmac out there." He gestured toward the spot outside the window like it was of no consequence at all. 

  
"Hu'yohr? You?... You killed her... Like personally? Yourself? Here?!" Kitah's astonishment rose with each question she fired off. As far as she was ever told Hu’yohr had just up and quit. He pursed his lips and raised his eyebrows a moment glancing sideways at her. Which she knew as typical 'Orson speak' for 'but of course'. He couldn't even pretend he felt bad about it, still quite the opposite after all this time. 

  
"Oh yes. When you came back that night I copied her details out of your datapad while you were asleep on the couch. I dropped the card in my duty desk and forgot about it until the day Tarkin issued that order that would cause you to leave, it resurfaced when I went to get a drink out of the drawer." Kitah was still in shock at what he was attempting to tell her. But she wanted, needed him to tell her the rest. 

  
"That night you actually sent me a message and didn't come back?" He nodded 

  
"... I cloned your communications account from the details you gave me after our little disagreement, which I appreciate you being honest with me and saving me the trouble of involving a slicer to do it. Sent the flea ridden bitch a message. Masquerading as you. Told her you urgently wanted to clear the air." Kitah had learned quickly after meeting him that he was scheming, volatile and very ruthless. She had seen it up close and managed to acclimate to each of those challenges in his personality. She knew he could be violent if the situation called for it. What he had done to Enn without so much as a second thought was proof enough of that. 

  
He had yelled at her or at least in her general direction for certain things. The worst of that being on whatever occasion it was he woke up in a rage after receiving a comm in the middle of the night, she just wished he would have told her what set him off that day. The only time he had really threatened to hurt her was during their first and only major disagreement, she always hoped he had done it purely to test if she had been lying to him for so long. He had never raised even a finger at her in anger before or after that. But this? He was essentially confessing to premeditated murder. She never imagined he could go this far not that she ever had a reason to think it of him.

  
"Captain Pterro knew where this place was so of course rather than go back to my quarters in the absolutely livid mood I was in after the day I'd had I came out here. To take my frustrations out on someone who deserved it and that gullible Bothan of course showed up. Immediately started accusing me of 'roughing you up' amongst other slights against my character. I am surprised I was able to even hear her out, of course it did help to crush her soul a little by telling her in detail what you spent your nights doing for well over a year.” Yes. That was something Kitah could actually foresee him doing. She knew he was cruel with his words moreover anything else. 

  
“But when she confessed that she had been stalking this base to see if you had started staying here and that if you were she would be more than happy to check on you and keep you 'company' well... That was what did it in the end I mean I fully intended to kill the woman as it was, but that's what got me to pull the trigger the first time." Kitah blinked and managed half a sentence. 

  
"Th..the first time?" She had subconsciously sat back from him a little. Krennic had noticed though. He nodded. 

  
"Well she was still alive by that point, though the look of realisation was quite satisfying when the credit dropped that she was going to die out here. Telling me I couldn't do what I was doing and as you know yourself that's never a wise thing to do. But I had to cut her off when she was about to tell me I don't deserve you. Nice and personal, blasted her brains out stepped over her smoking corpse. Made me feel much better about coming back to the station and fucking you that morning until you screamed. I mean I'm a man of my word and I promised Hu'yohr I would do that to you when I was done with ending her." Krennic finished laying out what he had done in the most brutally honest fashion he could pull together. There was no sugar coating it or dulling it down. If she couldn't handle him being this honest then he would never manage keeping her in his life. 

  
Kitah was clearly a little shell shocked by his straight confession. He was so fucking calm about it, he might as well have been describing some boring schematic. She guessed she finally got that long overdue explanation for his mood that morning and all this time she thought it was simply because she was going to have to leave. Krennic reached over to the side table grabbing a ciggara out of the pack he had dropped there along with the offending blaster before he'd gotten into bed. Really? He was going to smoke after telling her all that? Was he so satisfied at recounting the tale? He gestured to see if she would actually mind. With her mouth still slightly agape she shook her head. 

  
"Uh.. um no. No I mean I don't mind." She murmured getting out of bed for a moment. He watched her bewildered form stagger indecisively towards one of her cluttered shelves. She shifted some things, knocking some stuff to the floor before she found something that could serve as an ashtray. He'd already lit up when her shaking hand hovered above his blaster a moment before moving it to put the tray there. He glanced down at the table a moment, reminded of how much trust he'd given her when he didn't even care about her touching his weapon especially after the revelation he'd just given her. Kitah clambered back onto the bed, sitting there in a shocked little pile.

  
He questioned to himself if he had actually done it. Had he finally given enough of his true nature away that she would finally shun him? Kick him out and never want to see him again as he was clearly such a monster? He was still staring at her, committing every inch of her form that he could see to memory on the oft chance that came next, even that shocked little expression she had on.

  
"Had my men dispose of what was left of her corpse and disappear her shuttle." He shrugged "That was that and the rest of the day you know." He took a deep drag of the ciggara and exhaled away from her. 

  
"Y...you seem like you r...really en...enjoyed it." She rambled over her words.

  
"Stop that." He commanded over her habit. "Yes I did as a matter of fact Kitah. Fucking loved it. Bitch completely deserved it. For insulting my character, for the way you came back to me after dealing with her and what she had intended to do to you once you were out here alone. Not to mention for what she insinuated I had done to you and I needed it after the fucking bantha shit Tarkin pulled. The pick me up was almost as good as a dose of glitterstim if I'm being honest." He inhaled again before tapping the ash off in the tray. He eyed her for a reaction. Telling himself he could handle it if it was bad.

  
"Oh Orson... I think you have been plenty honest...” She groaned at the enormity of it rubbing her face in her hands and tugging on her hair a moment, her hangover screaming at her what a bad move that had been. She uncovered her face having calmed enough to form a response. She hated for a moment that him telling her in his commanding tone to stop her fumbling over her words still stopped her doing it so quickly.

  
“...I mean in addition to you using my communication access to lure in a victim, you murdered them cold blood mostly for your own gratification... On what is now my property! What if they had traced her disappearance back to me? Or even blamed me?!"

  
"Mnn that's your primary takeaway from my little confession? My dear who handles these types of investigations? The ISB would have looked into it if they suspected Imperial involvement, which they have not. As far as anyone was ever concerned Hu'yohr went missing en route to wherever she was going The story Kuat Drive Yards has been selling, even to you, is that she quit unexpectedly. You were on the battle station the whole time. Where many including myself would vouch for you being, no one would question you any further. After all this was months ago and no one has heard a thing and if they had I would have made it go away if they had nonetheless." Kitah was inhaling deeply trying to process. Krennic gave her a tap on the shoulder with the back of his hand and held out the ciggara to her. 

  
"Here. Calm yourself down." Her fingers shook a little as she took it from him. Kitah willed away the half grin that came onto her features thinking about how he shared his various vices with her when he wanted to calm her down. She hadn't smoked since she was fifteen and even then it wasn't for very long. She put it to her lips and inhaled slowly and deeply. She exhaled slowly away from him moments later only coughing shallowly a couple of times before handing it back. He brought his knee up and rested his arm on it. Oh this was so much for her to process, on top of a hangover to no less. 

  
"Is that something you do often? Commit murder to ease a bad day?"

  
"Not really, not to say I haven't before. I usually don't go out of my way, however usually it happens instantaneously, if I want to kill someone when the situation calls for it I just do it.” Kitah realised just how fortunate that bitch Enn actually was to be alive now, had she not been in such shock bleeding on the floor it might have dawned on her back then how serious he was when he put his hand on his blaster. The only thing that held him back was that the investigation into it would have dragged Tarkin’s nose into his business and it would have uncovered his deeper attachment to Kitah. Tarkin would have pounced on the opportunity to 'punish' them both, it was a very good deterrent. 

  
“I have never been a sit in the back officer when it has come to conflicts. Why do you think I was rather appreciative of your modifications to my blaster?" She sighed and lay back down at an odd angle across her bed resting her giddy head on his other thigh, now feeling like she was somehow responsible for what had happened. Or at least how it happened.

  
"Oh Orson why did you have to go and tell me what you did... I think I could have been just as content not knowing." _Oh I am sure you would have been Kitah._ She seemed reasonably accepting of what he did and why, it was more the where and how he did it that might be bothering her the most. He stroked her hair again and looked down at her. She hugged her arms over herself looking back up at him those blue eyes of his always seemed so deep and innocent. It occurred to her that was probably something he preyed upon when it came to getting what he wanted. Krennic looked like a man you could trust at first glance.

  
"Only in the interest of being honest with you Kitah. You can make whatever you wish to of what I have told you. Doesn't hurt you to know who you are really involved with by continuing to have anything to do with me. I tell you what I do with honesty and trust that you don't relay any of it to anyone else." His fingers trailed down to her cheek and over her neck where he felt her quivering just the smallest amount under his fingers. Not quite a flinch but a consideration. Perhaps she was thinking about what he had done or further could do with those hands. 

  
"There's been and continues to be a lot of blood on my hands when it comes to building that battle station and I don't lose sleep at night over any of it.” He wondered how she would react to such knowledge of how many had died on Malpaz or legacy worlds alone by his direct actions when it came to that battle station. “So you best understand that won't change and tell me honestly if you can't accept that and I'll leave. I'll never intrude on you again."

  
“No. No, I don't want that." The words came out quickly in an almost involuntary action. She didn't rationalise or think about what he confessed to just then only she didn't want him to do that.

  
"What do you want then?" Like usual she avoided giving him a direct answer.

  
"You won't do that to me will you?" Krennic could only discern the smallest hint of fear in her tone, he had heard worse from her. He took a long drag of the dwindling ciggara. Exhaling towards the ceiling before stubbing it out in the tray. 

  
"Kitah the day I catch you lying or betraying me with true intent to harm me or my career I will put you in the ground. Without the slightest hesitation this time. I will be pained to do so. Know that much." Kitah closed her eyes for a moment. Thinking back over the many months of being around him. The man who had so much to think about and command had still spent almost every free moment he had in her presence. 

  
He was equally self destructive as he was passionate and indulgent. He had indulged her work and levelled with her on so many subjects, not once talking down to her like she was too young or stupid to understand things. He never bored her and never asked for anything more than what she gave. All of these things she would never have had the intestinal fortitude to take from anyone. Had he not literally twisted her arm in the beginning none of it would have happened. 

  
"Ugh... damn you Orson Callan Krennic."

  
Well this must be it. She sounded just like him, she was clearly done having him in her life. Kitah pulled herself upright, she gave him a deeply soulful look beyond her years with those rich brown eyes of hers and shook her head at him. Krennic had braced himself for an angry explosion from her when she would no doubt snap but she leaned in and swiftly grabbed his un-groomed silver hair in her grip. He grunted in discomfort for a fleeting second before she held him there and kissed him forcefully. 

  
It felt like she was angry with him, as much as it felt like she was enamoured by the fact he had murdered Hu'yohr firstly and foremost for the slight against her.  _ Stop giving in. She is a distraction. She should be finding someone more suitab... Fuck it. _ Kitah yelped into the kiss when Krennic grabbed her hair equally forcefully and took back control of the kiss rolling over her and pinning her down with his weight. He hadn't wanted to leave early anyway.  
  


* * *

  
  
"That was absolutely awful. How do you do it?" Kitah tried to muffle her amusement at Krennic's complaints over her sonic shower as she finished buttoning his undershirt. 

  
"Well not all of us are highly ranked officers with such fancy fresher appointments. Sonic shower won't kill you. You're clean aren't you?" It wasn't like he had always had such appointments, he was just loath to return to anything that reminded him of terrible places he had been stationed over the course of his career. She picked up his tunic letting him slip his arms into it before doing it up as well. Kitah thought it was a nice change redressing him for once. It was a welcome distraction from the fact he was about to leave.

  
"Clean yes. But..." He leaned down and nuzzled against her hair "Missing the scent of you on me already..." Kitah rolled her shoulders at his charm before looking for his belt and holster, she still had a lot to think about with what he had told her. It was a whole side to him she didn't know about yet here he was still affectionate and charming to her and such a confession didn't stop her from staying in bed with him for several more hours entertaining each other's needs. Maybe that was a distraction from the fact he was leaving or from what he told her she wasn't sure yet. He returned his blaster to the holster after she had put it on.

  
"I guess you don't know when you will be back..." She stated. It was a rhetorical question. He raised her chin to meet his eyes.

  
"I'll be back when I am back." She expected as much. Although she felt like sulking and just letting him go while she stewed in anger... Kitah composed herself not wanting him to return to his duties in a completely foul mood. She returned the kiss he offered, stroking his cheek. Krennic knew she was quietly angry at his leaving so soon but none the less but appreciated her efforts to hide it. She followed him outside to his ship. Giving a small wave goodbye to Pterro. 

  
"You know... I'll still miss you Orson." She said only for his ears. He didn't give her a response other than a nod of acknowledgement before he turned for the ramp, his cape swirling around him. She crossed her arms and backed away from the ship. The ramp went up. Kitah sidestepped the thrust from the engines as the ship lifted off and accelerated away. She sighed as she looked around the tarmac wondering to herself just where exactly the spot was where Krennic had pleasurably snuffed out Hu'yohr's life.

  
Kitah walked through the hangar out to the runway where the crushed remains of the unfortunate test shuttle rested. She put her hands on her hips. There appeared to be parts of the ship missing. Not incinerated by the turbo laser. She looked over the wreckage in thought, not noticing Adarn approach from behind her 

  
"Mornin boss well, kinda afternoon. I see ya ... Friend ... is gone. I find it kinda funny ya never said what kind of officer ya was datin. Like here I pictured a Captain or somethin." Kitah was picking over the wreckage. 

  
"I am not dating him." She said a little more defensively than she would have liked. "He is just a friend. We worked together for a while. That's all." He watched her methodically pick over the remains of her test. Answering him without even looking up, either because she was too focused or too annoyed at her situation with that officer she was not 'dating'.

  
"Oh yeah sure Yas are friends. Cos ya know friends greet each other like yous two did all tha time." He said in a smug slightly sarcastic tone over his accent. 

  
"Uh huh. Well, we're just good friends. But good friends enough that if you don't leave this topic alone I could have you disappeared." She laughed at the end of her sentence, hoping she didn't sound too truthful, Krennic's confession still raw in her thoughts. Adarn was silent for a moment hoping she was just joking. Even if she was trying to be joking he suspected it might be true. 

  
"Uh.. anyway. Enough about that. I've got a hunch about the test shot so I'll need all this wreckage moved out of this spot. I can see there are parts missing in most unusual ways. Torn off. Considering the ship flickered out of phase and the laser didn't hit it. It must be something to do with the generated field." He looked around for the anti-grav crane to move the flattened shuttle. 

  
"And you still won't tell me what it does?" She kicked over a piece of wreckage with her hands in her pockets. From what she had garnered of Adarn since she met the man he was unlikely to steal her work. All he cared about was earning a credit or few to keep his Twi'lek wife happy with her jewellery habit. Kitah had often wondered how jealous she would be of the contents of the box beside her bed. A small smile came on her features.

  
"Well... It's got a bit of everything in it. Shield generator with a little cloaking device. Hmm maybe the other way around. But that's a far cry from what it is actually meant to do but easier to explain. But honestly it would have completely protected this shuttle from that turbo laser shot even at this close range... had the field not collapsed on itself that is. But I guess that's something I haven't resolved yet. Anyway... Wreckage off the tarmac please and I'll be in my office." She sauntered off back towards the hangar. Adarn looked over at the wreck he had to move. He was a bit concerned for his young 'boss' she seemed worse for wear today than she did after the test failure the day before. Seeing her ‘friend’ might have been good for her right up until he left that was.  
  


* * *

_  
“It's safe to go in now we got it open.” “Kitah? Kit, can you hear me?” “Is she even breathing?” “Kit wake up!” “Where's that med droid at already?!” “Kid quit touching her and wait...”_   
  
  
Some hours into the night Kitah sat up dripping in cold sweat. “Fuck it!” She yelled angrily, hurling the covers off her in a rage. She was so fed up with nightmares, they wasted no time in returning when she was alone again, one nights reprieve was not nearly enough. Not wanting to even attempt sleep again she threw on some clothes and wandered from her residence towards the hangar. It was peacefully cold and quiet, given the number of times she had wandered around outside on sleepless nights this was her favourite thing about it. Adarn had done what she asked and cleared all the crumpled wreckage off her tarmac. So when she got there and saw several of the pieces that she suspected to be missing from the removed wreckage sitting there in a random array she smiled.

  
"Guess you didn't see a total failure out of me Orson. Pity you didn't know that though." She knelt down picking up one of the pieces. She could feel the strange little particles tingling around her fingers. Barely noticeable to the naked eye. If she didn't know what to look for she would have missed them easily.

  
"Okay, so guess I have to look outside the internal generator theory..." Kitah disappeared into her office to start over on calculations and testing the collected parts rather than wasting her time trying to sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 🎵 [Hidden Citizens - Too Far Gone (ft. Svrcina)](https://youtu.be/xSGGpZncmRU)
> 
> * [ISD Engager](https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Engager)  
> * [Corellian Trade Route](https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Corellian_Run/Legends)  
> * Disaster on Malpaz - Rogue One: Catalyst (From Wookiepedia excerpt from - [Orson Callan Krennic](https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Orson_Callan_Krennic))  
> In attempts to weaponize Galen's research, a research facility on Malpaz had exploded, leading to a massive loss of life and a mass exodus on the planet. Krennic worked to ensure it was interpreted as an attack. Krennic met with the Erso family following a discussion Lyra had with a former colleague of Galen Erso, who believed that Krennic was responsible for the incident on Malpaz. Krennic suggested to Lyra that she take a break from parenting and go back to exploring as she used to do. With Lyra out of the equation, Krennic called Galen to meet with him in private. Here, Galen mentioned doubts Lyra had, as well as his own. Galen was shown the world of Malpaz, and Krennic claimed that it was an attack by those who wished to bring instability through sowing chaos into the Empire. Galen was upset to see his work being attacked by those who solely wanted to ruin the lives of others. Krennic had maneuvered Galen to his side, and Galen agreed to work more intensely but under complete secrecy from anyone, including Lyra.


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahh here we are the obligatory (?) trip to Scarif and I am of course certain I've taken some artistic license as to what does and does not exist there. But it is quoted in many sources that Scarif is a pretty sweet gig for anyone posted there. They all think themselves safe thanks to the shield. So I imagine to some it is as close to a holiday as one would get in this part of the galaxy. Of course I honestly couldn't get my head around an actual "beach" scene so... Tropical atmosphere will have to suffice. NSFW Chapter... you're welcome.

* * *

Kitah had just flopped down into her chair, hoping for a few moments of peace. She had been helping Adarn pull components out of ships all morning. Small specific little things that she needed to complete the second rendition of her work. She was sure she almost had all the kinks out of it. Her maths was reasonably sound or at least she hoped it was. She would run some more figures before conducting the final test. She picked up some flimsiplast notes. While they were primitive it was still easier for her to follow scraps of notes than organised data in a pad. Kitah tilted her head when she heard her comm go off. Now she had to go rummaging through all of her parts and pieces on her work desk. She really should put it somewhere easier to find… perhaps a pocket? 

  
"Dammit where is it...." She managed to grab it just in time to answer it before knocking a tool box off sending it crashing to the floor and spilling its contents with a loud echo. "..Hello? Yeah.. it's me... Sorry..." She let out a sigh of exasperation brushing her hair off her face. Her shortness of breath and the disaster of finding her comm that created it was not lost on the caller. 

  
"As much as I'd love to be picturing you panting breathlessly for other reasons. I am afraid I can only picture you in that weapons testing range you call a workshop buried up to your eyes in chaos hmm?" Krennic's smooth tone with an undeniable hint of smugness sounded over her comm. While he only ever used voice transmissions when talking to her so as to maintain deniability should anything ever be intercepted, not that he spoke to her about anything particularly classified. 

  
Her voice smiled however, it had been a while since she heard from him. Only one other time since he visited Thaere. Neither of them talking at that time about what had been brought up or how she was handling the knowledge. Kitah wasn't even sure she wanted to talk to him further about it. It was probably just becoming another one of those things she knew about him that she was going to have to file under that section in her mind that dealt with things that didn't immediately harm her but were always present nonetheless. Knowledge of Krennic's murderous tendencies could keep her nightmares company for a while as far as she was concerned, only one of those things actually kept her awake at night. 

  
"Well Orson since you're talking to me like that I'll assume that you are not calling me with anything particularly negative, a social call perhaps?" She flopped back down in her desk chair looking at the extra chaos she'd created looking for the comm. Knowing he would actually be exasperated if he saw it like he was whenever he had the unfortunate task of seeing inside her workspace on the station.

  
"When do I ever contact you in a professional capacity Kitah? Never. But nonetheless I've called purposefully. Are you otherwise engaged in..." He paused for a moment while he was looking at something on his datapad. "Two weeks? I mean that's if you still wish to see me or perhaps you have finally found yourself someone more suitable for your life than I am?" Krennic surmised he might one day get the answer to that goading that he would not like. Kitah of course knew he was joking but wished that he would stop talking like that. Kitah made a sad sounding sigh putting on a matching voice. Krennic could hear her smiling through her act. 

  
"Alas Orson, despite trying my absolute hardest to look amongst a whole string of possibilities I find myself presented with here I have yet to get so lucky. So it remains you will have to continue thinking up other ways to get rid of me. As for two weeks... Uh ... I'll be here. Are you going to come out here again?" 

  
"As much as I enjoy that little... Paradise of yours..." Kitah couldn't help but laugh. She knew that Krennic was saying it with a bad taste in his mouth and equally sour expression, she garnered from his visit that he did not find Thaere particularly exciting. He probably would rather have gone to Coruscant or Scarif like he said he could have done in the same time frame. "... I can not venture that far afield of the station at the moment. But perhaps you would come to Scarif?"

  
"Uh, I thought I wasn't allowed at Scarif any more? Security clearance and all?" _Scarif? Oh yes please... finally._ Kitah had been itching to actually set foot on Scarif from the time she started working on the battle station, the desire had not gone away after all this time.

  
"Your security exclusion issue applies only to the station itself, not to the base on Scarif's surface. I would advise you to take the opportunity while it's available. My time for anything outside of this project... Is becoming more and more limited." Krennic was constantly having to waste his time going to Eadu to give Galen less than gentle reminders to complete his work. Sometimes if the man worked any slower he would have to increase his speed to stop. Krennic was starting to think he was deliberately dragging his feet in the assumption that he would be terminated the minute the project was complete. 

  
While that was likely going to be the case, Krennic could perhaps find some other project to move Galen onto for the Empire. Just to keep him 'on their books' should he be able to gain more favour with the Emperor by having Galen's abilities at hand. Of course, it would most definitely just be worth it to kill the man the second he put the last figure on the last schematic for the trouble he caused sixteen... no... seventeen years ago now by running off to Lah'mu. Kitah spoke, breaking his thoughts.

  
"Guess you won't tell me what's happening and what is eating up all your time?”

  
"Not while I breathe. I will be sending someone to bring you here."

  
"Still don't want my antique shuttle anywhere near where it can be seen near you I see." She heard him scoff. 

  
"What I have is an antique. What you have is flying trash that belongs with everything else from the clone wars era. Buried."

  
"Aww Orson why don't you tell me how you really feel. Alright, two weeks it is. Any chance it will be more than one night this time?"

  
"You still don't get to make demands of me my dear." He cut the comm link curtly after that. Kitah sighed looking at the mess she'd created just to answer a simple comm.

  
She grabbed a data pad and slid it in front of her, picking up a few sheets of flimsiplast of the floor, comparing the notes and figures. She glanced out the windows of her office down to the hangar floor. Kitah nodded to herself, yes two weeks was sure to be enough time to finish the prototype she had planned out just not fully testing it unfortunately. Perhaps if Krennic believed it had an actual application he might assist with that anyway, what was the point of sleeping with the Director of Advanced Weapons Research if he couldn't help with well, that. She kicked herself immediately at the thought. She'd never thought about him like that before, calling in favours off him. If she had said it out loud it would have left a bad taste in her mouth. As it was it made her feel a little sick. Two weeks would pass all too soon as far as her work was concerned and she put that whole notion of calling in any favours from Krennic right out of her head.  
  


* * *

  
The explosion ripped through the hangar sending chunks of durasteel and transparisteel everywhere. The steam, smoke and who knows what else pouring it's way out of the blown hyperdrive she had installed into it. 

  
"Geeze boss? Ya okay?!" Adarn came running in from where he was working outside on the shuttle when Kitah's 'contraption' whatever it was she called it had blown itself apart all over the hangar, something he felt was inevitable. Kitah groaned and hauled herself up off the floor after quickly slapping out the burning patch on her overalls. She staggered over to the ruins of her hard work. Surely it wasn't all for nothing. She stumbled over to the wreckage looking to see what was still intact. Adarn took his hat off and wiped his brow. 

  
"Boss... Ya bleedin'." Kitah waved him off as she hunted through the debris. She had spent too long on this fucking thing to not get anything out of it. She could feel the aforementioned blood running down the side of her face. She kicked over and dug through parts of the plating. 

  
"If ya tell me whatcha lookin for I can help ya look?" Adarn looked at the mess. He thought she was crazy when she kitted it all together.

  
"Ow... Ow... hot... hot..." Kitah hissed and grabbed a rag off Adarn so she could pick up a scorching hot durasteel panel. He rolled his eyes at her stubbornness for not letting him help. 

  
"I can help ya know." He persisted.

  
"Look .. Adarn. Please just... Let me do this. If I don't find what I'm looking for then you can help me as much as you like because I won't..." She flicked over another steaming plate of durasteel. "... care." She trailed off upon spotting the transparisteel particle capture tubes. She picked one up squinting at it up close, pulling her glasses down her nose for a better look. She could see the white noise of glowing particles zooming around inside the tube. Of course not in anywhere near the density she would have liked. But with the system destroyed, she may just have enough to make a small single use prototype.

  
"Adarn can you do me a favour... And... Well clean this up. Get rid of what's left of that hyperdrive. I don't want it leaking radiation in here. The rest of it... Try to.. box it up in some sort of order so I can make sense of it when I get back maybe." Adarn crossed his arms and looked back and forth over the wreckage in the hangar. 

  
"Get back? From where?" Kitah went white for a moment, chewing on her knuckles for a moment in the realisation that she had totally forgotten to tell him that she was going anywhere. 

  
"Oh stars... I did it again didn't I... I forgot to say something again huh?" Adarn gave her one of those looks that Kitah had recently started calling the 'disappointed dad' look. 

  
"Ya might have yeah and just where n when ya Goin? " She looked at her chronometer nervously. 

  
"I am going to..." She paused for a moment before she accidentally said Scarif. "... Coruscant. Yep. Coruscant for a few days. Um tomorrow actually?"

  
"Really... Coruscant eh? To see yer ... 'friend' Mister Krennic I'll bet. But ya know ya ship out there is in parts for a tune up right? Tomorra? So much for tha warnin. Ya really should start writin stuff down more clearly." Kitah took a few steps back nodding in agreement with his chastising before heading towards her workshop upstairs.

  
".... Yeah maybe. I um... I won't need it. I'm getting picked up. I.. I've got work to do Adarn... Um... Thanks. Some kind of order please..Especially that hyperdrive get the crane and drag it outside as quickly as possible... then keep the doors open!” Adarn watched her head up to her workshop focused on the small bits of transparisteel she had picked out of the rubble. He glanced down at the spots of blood she had also left on the floor so absorbed in whatever it was she was doing. 

  
"Patch ya head!" He called out after her. She gave a half hearted wave of acknowledgment. He swiped his scruffy hair back and shoved his hat back on over it.

  
"Well... Good luck ta ya Mister Krennic that's all I'm gonna say cos that girl is utterly mad.... Ravin' crazy..." He kept muttering about the various levels of insanity Kitah subjected him to as his boss. Of course he'd never trade in this job she paid well and kept his life interesting to say the least.

  
Kitah stayed up in her workshop for hours until it was almost dawn again before she finished putting her prototype device together. She flicked through her data pad doing some calculations. If the system hadn't actually blown up in her face she could have definitely made enough for a demonstration on something like a lightcruiser, now she wasn't even sure what she could use it on. Kitah wondered what was even the point now. 

  
Sure she had all the data on how she got to this point but she had gotten so absorbed with being so close to completion once she figured it out she was not making the best schematics or notes towards the end. She was just tweaking and changing things as she went. Kitah sighed. No point dwelling on it for much more, she was actually glad she was going on a break tomorrow. She stopped in her office on her way out checking on her console that everything was functioning with the prototype correctly. Everything looked good, she looked at the silver cylinder down in her hand. It seemed like such a small thing to have for her years of trouble. But she slept better that night than she had done in a long time. The thought of what she would be getting up to do in the morning also helped.

* * *

  
She slung her bag over her shoulder and walked across the tarmac to the comfortingly familiar ship. She gave Adarn a wave who was standing in the doorway of the hangar. Captain Pterro walked down the ramp, Kitah gave him a friendly one armed hug. 

  
"Long time no see Captain. Although not nearly as long as last time." He laughed at that before heading back up the ramp with her

  
"Oh so it's Cadet Shae again now is it?" He said with his typical wry smile pointing out her uniform as the ramp closed. Kitah looked down at her black attire and back at him. 

  
"Well I thought it might be wise to wear it rather than show up to an active military installation in my civilian clothes don't you think Captain?"

  
"Well I guess that is quite fair. So, what happened there?" He tapped towards his eyebrow before concentrating on getting airborne. 

  
"Oh.. that..'' Kitah ended up having to put plastistitches on the deep cut above her eyebrow when she couldn't find any bacta gel or patches anywhere, so she made a mental note to restock. Of course it didn't help that she was too distracted to treat the wound straight away; it had now bruised and looked even worse. 

  
"Just an occupational hazard." She absently pulled her hair over it. Pterro gave her a doubtful look, Krennic had more than filled him in on how chaotic it was to watch her work. If it was an accident it was a very close call judging by the depth of the cut and the bruise. 

  
"The Director is going to have a fun time lecturing you over that I am certain." Kitah did not doubt that at all.

  
"Oh I'm sure he will. Probably enjoy every second of it too." Pterro just laughed before pulling up the ramp and leaving Thaere's forested surface. 

  
The trip to Scarif was uneventful as expected. She could never tire of the view above Scarif protected by it's safe bubble. That shield was a marvel of Imperial technology that Kitah couldn't get over despite her knowledge. But it was the azure blue waters crisscrossed with lines of light coloured sand sprinkled with green that always got her. All of which was a needed distraction from the battle station hovered in its orbit. While she enjoyed having her projects and space back, things were actually so much simpler when she was living there. 

_  
Living there. That sounds a lot different when I think of it like that._ Kitah turned her attention back to Scarif's surface when the shuttle passed through the shield gate where she could now easily see the citadel base. Equally impressive she always thought. She remembered asking Krennic once did he have anything to do with its design. He scoffed as he does when he is almost insulted, to his annoyance no. The plans he had submitted for it were turned down by Tarkin of course. In favour of the impractical design that was there now.

  
Of course as Pterro walked her through the corridors after several turbolift exchanges to where the officers quarters were she didn't really have too much to complain about the monolithic structure. She wouldn't tell Krennic that. Krennic's temporary quarters were easy enough to spot given his detachment of black armour clad guards standing outside of it. Pterro handed her an access card 

  
"Same as you're used to. Of course don't lose it." She took it and looked it over. Tapping it with her fingers. 

  
"You know a lot more about things than you let on don't you Dunstig?" She was referring of course to the complicated on going relationship she had with his superior. He willed his grin away before adjusting this cap needlessly before giving her a courteous nod. 

  
“Cadet." With that he walked off to return to his regular duties. Well that was as good of a yes as she was going to get. She strolled over to the two troopers guarding the door. She couldn't help but wonder if they were any that had been on her detail on the station. When she went to unlock the door one spoke outside of his encrypted vocalizer. "Director Krennic sends his regards. He will return momentarily. Cadet." Still unrecognisable, none the less the trooper stood aside letting her access the door control. 

  
"Thank-you" She walked in then across the reasonably sized officers quarters. Though it was nothing like what she had become accustomed to before. Then again she didn't care. She dropped her bag down and went looking at the large windows that she realised were actually transparisteel doors that led outside to a balcony. She now couldn't care less if the quarters were the size of a tool box compared to the accommodations on the station, she was looking forward to standing out there and looking over the sand and crystal water below. Kitah had a rough idea from counting turbo lifts and corridors that these accommodations were clearly on the back side of the citadel. 

  
Possibly to shield itself from most of the noise and activity from the landing pads and machinery on the other side. Who knows maybe to give those stationed there a better view. It was no secret that a posting to Scarif was nearly considered a working holiday as it was. Scarif was far too remote to even see any rebel trouble like what other outer rim world's had experienced, though Krennic had always said the entire place was too lax and it was basically a dumping ground for retiring officers or corrupt ones to languish away. 

  
She looked around the rest of the quarters. There was barely any sign that Krennic had even been there. Upon further exploring she had a hunch she wanted to check out as she strolled across to the refresher glancing in the door a happy grin appearing on her features. 

  
"Oh yes. Finally a break from that sonic piece of junk..." She announced out-loud to herself. Thankful for a shower that wouldn't leave her hair feeling like brittle glass fibres or her skin with that strange powdery after feeling, Krennic would just say she had gotten used to too much of a good thing on the station but hey he couldn't talk he hated the damn thing just as much as she did of not more. Surely once again after she had broken some unwritten rule about water usage, she stepped out and since no one came and disturbed her, what was the point in worrying about it. She assured herself the water was probably desalinated from the ocean anyway. 

  
Kitah stepped out of the fresher with a towel around her wandering back out absently towards the balcony, her head still tilted over while she towelled off her hair. She stood in front of the balcony window sliding open the glass to let the warm tropical breeze blow in, it was an insanely far cry from the climate of Thaere. The usual hive of activity outside only just detracting from the absolute paradise. It was easily forgettable that it was a military installation, especially on the back side of the citadel where less ships passed by.

  
"Don't you dare walk out there wearing just a towel." Kitah jumped with a yelp when she heard Krennic growl out his warning from somewhere behind her. She looked over to him seated comfortably with one leg crossed over his knee. Obviously returned to his quarters without letting her know like she had experienced so many times before. 

  
"Why? Are you worried I might cause a crash?" Tempting as it actually was to ignore him and go out there anyway and enjoy the breeze in her damp hair in spite of his warning just for scaring her like that as usual but Krennic beckoned her over before she could act on it like he knew exactly what was running through her head. 

  
"Hardly. Though perhaps there could be some young inexperienced pilot out there that might get distracted enough to do so and that is a report I have no wish to deal with." He shrugged as he moved the data pad he had been reading before Kitah walked over to him and perched on the arm of the chair putting her bare legs across his lap. He rubbed his index finger across his chin licking his bottom lip in consideration. 

  
"But that's not entirely it, you know it is more the fact that no one else besides me should be seeing you wearing just this..." His free hand pulled along the edge of the towel around her. His tone was possessive, she still missed having him around to want her like that. Kitah leaned forward to caress his cheek and kissed near his temple. 

  
"I know, I know. Yours. To do with what you want. When you want. Pity when you want is so far apart." He shifted back in the chair getting comfortable again 

  
"Try not to confuse when I want with when I can Kitah." She kissed his cheek and nuzzled against him

  
"Sorry Orson, I know you're very busy. I've just missed you that's all." Kitah knew he was unlikely to say it back to her. 

  
"Have you now? Perhaps you should kiss me like you actually missed me then. I can't be so sure with these little pecks on my face... Or perhaps I really am just a good friend to you hmm? Like the dear Captain?" Oh there was that jealousy she knew he had and didn't really need his direct words to show it. 

  
"This jealousy is so unbecoming of you Director." She grasped his chin and kissed him deeply, nipping at his bottom lip just enough to let her press her tongue into his mouth. She buried her hand in his hair kissing him until she was short of breath before pulling away slowly licking her own lips of him.

  
"Orson, you're the only one I have ever let know how much I've missed them like that, ever. I don't mind you being jealous or possessive but don't be so cruel as to tell me I do not miss you." She looked down at him putting her hand into the top of his uncharacteristically casual shirt so used to seeing him in either his uniform or the plain shirt underneath that this dark grey one with the sleeves rolled up and the top two buttons undone was very different to her. 

  
"I'll be as cruel to you as I like my dear." Only he could say something like that and have it be meant in an affectionate way. He brushed some of the damp strands of hair off her face rubbing his thumb lightly over the plastic strips above her eyebrow making her wince that eye closed fleetingly. His brow furrowed a bit at the deep cut they held together and surrounding bruising. 

  
"And what did you do to yourself there?" She didn't think he needed to know how close she came to losing her eye to a flying piece of durasteel. Imagine the cybernetics lectures then. 

  
"Was just an accident. Not paying attention again I guess." That really wasn't a lie. It was more carelessness than an accident but it wasn't a stretch for Krennic to believe that at all.

  
"Who knows what damage you could have done to yourself if I'd left you unattended even longer." She nodded with acceptance of that and glanced at the datapad changing the subject away from her head before he wanted more of an in-depth answer to questions such as what was she doing for so long after the injury that she let it bruise or why not put a bacta patch on it among so many other things he could possibly come up with if he got started. 

  
"So what is that you were reading, is it work? It shouldn't be if you are actually on shore leave." He raised an eyebrow at the datapad.

  
"Why? Perhaps it is you who is jealous for attention already?" Kitah shook her head slowly an understanding look formed on her features.

  
"Hardly Orson. I know I am just a mistress to your true passion." She glanced and pointed upwards implying the battle station. Kitah knew she was still distantly down his list of priorities when it came to his project.  


"Well you know if I didn't appreciate your understanding of what comes first in my life you wouldn't be here right now." She smiled down at him undoing another button on his shirt letting her hand roam over him more, she leaned in and kissed over his neck and down to his collarbone. Until she heard him let out a contented sound, she dragged the tip of her tongue over his neck and up to his ear before she spoke softly in his ear.

  
“Ah, but that battle station doesn't care about you like I do now does it Orson.” Kitah gave his ear a gentle nip before she leaned back enough to see his face again and nodded in the direction of the datapad again when he dodged the question. 

  
"So... Is it work then?" He scoffed tormented by her affections. 

  
"Just won't let it go will you? Jealous little... No it's not work. It's just me catching up on reading."

  
"Hmm spending your shore leave sitting comfortably in a chair reading a text file... Seems like an overly mature activity for you." Krennic heard that coy undertone in her voice. He caressed his hand firmly over her ankle, thinking that he was actually interrupted from trying to read a text file because he had a mostly naked woman sitting over his lap was hardly his idea of a 'mature' activity. 

  
"Are you suggesting I am getting old?" Kitah's eyes alone smiled at his prodding to see if he could get her to admit such a thing. She wondered what would happen if she did agree that she thought he was. He never seemed to believe her anyway when ever she denied it. 

  
"Of course not Orson but while you are trying to catch me out doing so, why don't you tell me how old are you anyway? Since I've never pried, I mean I've probably guessed but not perfectly." He thought of the fake theatrics she once tried on him when he asked her the same thing. Wondering just how well she could have guessed and if she truly would care he saw no point to lying about it.

  
"Fifty or Fifty one... I think." Krennic smirked, mocking her. Though he didn't need to count it out in his head like she had to. 

  
"Oh thats very funny Director. I see what you're doing there. However I doubt someone as well brought up as you and with your education is in any way unsure of their birth date... I've also noticed since I've known you that you have clearly avoided even telling me when it was your birthday..." His hand on her ankle moved further up her leg. More to distract himself from her scrutiny if that's what it was. He had given her enough rope over the last two years to allow her to scrutinise him a little without too many repercussions, everyone else who dared could go to hell. He might have even given her a little more rope for scrutiny in recent times when she didn't tell him to get the hell out of her life and never come back after all he told her on Thaere.

  
"One. Fifty one. But don't concern yourself that I didn't say anything to you on those days. I don't bring it up for anyone to make a fuss over, that includes you. Don't fret my dear. The two most recent of my birthdays were rather pleasant to me for obvious reasons, I made sure of that. Satisfy your prying hmm?" Obviously he meant he had gotten something pleasant out of her on those days without mentioning why.

  
"Hmm almost." She stretched her leg out encouraging his hand higher up her leg. "... I assume on at least some of those times you disappeared for days and days on end without say so as to where or why you must have gone back to Coruscant at least once or twice because you never mentioned shore leave to me in the whole time I was there so... I'm sure you wouldn't be sitting in the corner of a room reading on Coruscant from what I've heard of it." Krennic obliged her subtle encouragement, his hand moving up her calf to behind her knee. Closing his eyes momentarily while focusing on her smooth skin.

  
"What do you think I used to do on Coruscant? I'd Spend time in my apartment and take in the view of the upper level of the city. Drink in expensive places and fuck women found in such establishments, never letting them stay the night in my apartment of course. Though you should know that yes some of the times I have left you there alone was while I did spend time on Coruscant, for work. Nothing else. Is that what you wanted to hear?" He opened his eyes after letting her in on his answer. She wasn't giving him any sort of disapproving look. He still thoroughly enjoyed her minimalist judgement on just about anything he did.

"Well you're right Orson that is pretty much what I thought you did."

  
"Why did you even ask me then woman?" She laughed to herself pleased at what she got him to tell her without too much coaxing. 

  
"Oh... Just wanted to see if I could make you tell me Orson." Her shoulders rose slightly in a coy shrug. When he was silent for a few moments she dared to steal a glance at his reaction.

  
"You know what Kitah..." He didn't give her a chance to actually answer his rhetorical observation before he caught her by surprise scooping her off him and standing almost in one move. 

  
"I think you can go out here. On this balcony. In just a towel... At least until I tear it off you and leave you standing out here completely exposed, that is. Just for that little stunt!" Kitah nearly shrieked at him, she must have gone quite pale with the fear he would actually do it. Forgetting how fast he could move when he wanted to. 

  
"Oh Orson you wouldn't dare! No. No! You said yourself... You said .." She quickly struggled to get out of his grip not even caring if she ended up hitting the hard floor should he just drop her. 

  
"I wouldn't dare? Really? You must really want me to throw you out there you little exhibitionist. Telling me what I will and will not do. My uniform comes off for not even one day and you lose all respect hm?" When she realised he might actually do it she put her arm around his neck.

  
"Orson I didn't mean it you know, I didn't please... please don't you do that to me you wouldn't!" When he got close enough to the balcony doors where he could have tossed her out there she buried her head in his neck and winced her eyes shut grabbing his collar in the hopes he wouldn't be able to successfully put her out there if he couldn't get her off him. She felt him take a few good strides, her grip on him was futile when he felt him drop her out of his grip she squealed for the half second it took for her to land on the ...bed. 

  
"Of course I fucking wouldn't. But it was terribly nice to hear you beg me not to..." She was still inhaling deeply trying to get her breath back from the panic he had just caused her. He pulled the towel off her.

  
"If you're going to lie there and breathe like that at least make it interesting." He smirked at her heaving chest while she tried to calm down. She wanted to give him an angry look pout or scowl at him but she just couldn't. Orson Krennic might be one for nasty sarcasm often at the expense of others but he wasn't one for really playing tricks. If he did it it was because she made him feel comfortable enough to do so, making a big display out of a tiny slight on her behalf just to do exactly that to her. She shook her head at him. 

  
"Oh you are so horrible to me Orson. You know that..." She was still shaking like the leaves on the palm trees outside but her breath was at least making its return.

  
"If I am so horrible to you of all people Kitah... Imagine how horrible I must be to everyone who isn't... you." Well she had seen what he could be like with those he took a dislike to that he did not need to tolerate for the sake of his career or his project. She had heard from his own mouth what he could do to those he downright hated. 

  
"Oh I imagine you are an absolute beast." So her description while meant to sound playful was not actually too wrong.

  
"You'd be closer to the truth. Now what am I supposed to do with you? I haven't fully addressed this making me divulge information you didn't really need. A little scare hardly covers it." Sometimes she hated it when he tempered his tone to where she couldn't pinpoint if he was sincere or sarcastic. She hoped for the latter and responded in kind.

  
"Oh it's alright Orson I am sure you want to get back to your text that I disturbed you from... Over there..." She pointed coyly in that direction "... In that comfortable chair. You couldn't possibly have anything in mind to do to me. I mean I have only just gotten here and I am very tired..." He smirked at her, naturally not falling for her sweet retaliatory sarcasm though she had given him an idea.

  
"Oh you are most definitely right I do want to go back to that comfortable chair and you're going to come back over there with me and let me fuck your rebellious little mouth like a good girl." Krennic put his hand firmly on her cheek dragging his thumb over her bottom lip. Oh he wanted that mouth around his cock, he would not be lying to say it had not been on his mind more than once in the last few weeks. His blue eyes had gone dangerously dark. 

  
"Going to do as you're told... hm?" Kitah propped herself up on her elbows about to answer him when he leaned down and growled lowly against her ear before she could. "...Oh please let that be a no." He drawled out slowly. 

  
Kitah's breath stopped harshly in her chest. She sat up more before trying to back away from him and slip off the closest side of the bed to her. So no it was. He pounced on her before she got too far and wrapped his hand firmly in her damp hair dragging her off the end of the bed, to her feet and across the shiny floor back in the direction of the chair. She had quickly put her hands around his wrist so she would be walked as opposed to really dragged. He smirked at her efforts, having anticipated her self preservation to prevent him from actually hurting her. 

  
"Feeling regrets for your taunting information out of me yet? Tisk tisk aren't you lucky you are only rebellious in your words not in your allegiance." He had almost gotten back to the chair with her. She pulled back giving him a bit of the fight he wanted. She knew he wanted it by the sound of him inhaling deeply while he no doubt considered how to make her pay for her 'refusal'. 

  
"Orson this is not really fairrrr..." She complained, digging her bare heels fruitlessly against the smooth floor selling her reluctance to comply with his wants.

  
"Aww Kitah, don't tell me you've forgotten your first little lesson on how I don't operate based on what is and is not fair." He was completely right about that. That lesson also consisted of him being stronger and better trained in physically subduing someone than she was. He sat back into that chair not letting go of her. He smirked when she deliberately hesitated, grabbing her wrist and making her feel the hardness of his cock uncomfortable behind his trousers.

  
"Get on with it. Try to tease me you little minx? Oh I wouldn't dare..." He growled somewhere between lust and frustration. He let her wrist go when she started to undo that thin civilian belt he had on, so that's where he used it. Aside from on her, that was. Her fingers dexterously undid his trousers, before slipping beneath his dark briefs finding his aching member. He groaned, pulling her closer to him by her hair taking a kiss from her hungrily. She didn't even need to look at what she was doing with her hand to know how to stroke his cock just the way he wanted it. Didn't matter how long it had been since she had seen him.

  
Like he had soon started to say not long after they met, she knew him too well. Not that he should complain when that meant knowing how to please him. Her hand pulled away from him. A grunt of protest into her mouth. She gave his lip a soft nip for his complaining. Of course he returned in kind along with a tightening of his grip in her hair, he invaded her mouth with his tongue. Her hand that had tortured him by stopping climbed up his frame undoing the couple of remaining buttons before she shook her head a little in a feeble attempt to dislodge his grip and broke the kiss, her own tongue lingering against this for a heartbeat before she pulled back.

  
"You best let go of that ... for now if you want me to let me give you what you're demanding. Sir." He released his grip combing out the tangles he had made gently with his spread fingers before they trailed lightly down her back. He was achingly unpredictable at times. She went back to the side of his neck just below his ear kissing her way down him now just wishing she had continued when she started that before. Deliberately letting her tongue stray over his skin again. With a little of his own assistance his trousers and briefs found their way further down his legs which was fine. Kitah used the opportunity to settle between his legs. Dragging her torment put for the last little bit pressing his cock between her cleavage. 

  
"You keep this up Kitah and I'll make you regret it." Civilian clothes or not he was forever in command. Her slow torture had given her the first hint of salty pre cum to remove with lashes of her tongue. Her finger tips slid up his thighs to caress over his cock and squeezed pleasurably around his balls. She stroked his length with the other still merely teasing around the head with her tongue. He inhaled deeply back through his nose pressing himself further back into the chair. His hands curled into fists on the arm rests. 

  
"Stop that you little bitch and put it in your fucking mouth." That desperate sounding gasp lost somewhere between an order and a plea would be the closest she would ever get to him begging her for something ever. Tempting as it was she let it lie and didn't taunt him on it. Instead sliding her lips and more over his length before letting his hard length slide into her mouth. Letting him slide only a few inches into her mouth, her tongue pressing against the base of his length before he snapped.

  
It was fair, he had given more than a generous warning. One of his balled fists unfurled and flew to the hair at the base of her neck clenching into it forcing her head down onto his shaft and down her throat. He grunted with renewed satisfaction mercifully giving her a second or two to adjust before keeping control of her and doing what he originally threatened to do... Relentlessly fuck her mouth. She almost gagged a few times from his forced movements and pre cum at the back of her throat.

  
She behaved massaging the base of his cock here her mouth blissfully for her at least just could not reach. While the other kept up her caress and gentle pressure around his balls. Amongst it all her ears trained purely towards the sounds he let out each time he thrust his cock down her throat. Kitah couldn't help but moan around his cock at the sensation of knowing how much he was enjoying her mouth.

  
"Get your arse up here" he growled hearing her moan around his cock. Krennic held her head firm against him making sure she stayed bent over his lap when she stood. He slid his hand down her back tracing only the tips of his fingers against her and over the curves of her rounded arse, and between her thighs where he gripped her and pulled her closer. He tormented her then with a few good slaps to her arse cheeks timed with his thrusts for good measure. His other hand still held her hair firmly. Keeping the pace and depth by which he fucked her mouth in his control. He slid his fingers down between her legs and along her slick folds 

  
"You are still such a little whore for me aren't you?” Remarking about her wetness, clearly she still got something out of teasing him. While he taunted her about it he two of his fingers into her. He felt her moan around his cock down her throat. He groaned himself trying to form another sentence. 

  
"Keep it up. Be a good girl and I might give you what you want..." She really wasn't sure what she wanted but his attention certainly encouraged her. She couldn't see him staring hungrily down at her with those deep blue as he continued to delight in the sight of his cock disappearing into her mouth. Krennic continued to tease at her pussy sliding his fingers from inside her to rolling over her clit relishing in the pathetic whimpering moan from her. Oh he was torn between what he wanted, to cum down her throat or over her face and tits. As he was deciding his fingers drew another pathetic moan from her. Krennic grunted with frustration pulling her head up from his cock glaring at her seriously.

  
"Learned your lesson? Not going to pry information... out of me you don't need anymore?.... Today?" She shook her head fervently exercising her aching jaw a little. He drew his hand away from between her legs to his mouth tasting the sweetness of her arousal. 

  
"Mnn nice to know how much you still crave for my touch..." He let go of her hair slowly stroking his cock, knowing he was taunting her as much as keeping himself pleasured.

  
"Orson... Please... I'm sure I don't deserve you being this cruel to me... Please..." He scoffed, gesturing with his hand benevolently for her to come to his lap and she didn't hesitate. Straddling him with her knees fitting with just enough room beside him in that chair. He guided his cock to her drenched entrance and while she tried to thrust against him he let out a growl. He would give her what she wanted, yes. But on his own terms.

  
"Ah. No quick self gratification for you just yet Kitah. You just go at the pace I let you."

  
She leaned forward into him, her only complaint a frustrated moan. But nodded nonetheless in agreement with his cruel terms. He let her settle slowly onto him. Krennic pulled her down against him completely past the point where she usually felt comfortable. It created a dull ache that was oddly pleasant to her. He was glad of his choice at this point with his cock seated fully in her warm tight folds at her core. He let his head fall back against the chair concentrating on not cumming then and there. 

  
He composed himself enough to raise her off him a few inches at a time guided by his hand on her hip. They were slow deep deliberate thrusts, seating her fully against him each time. While he made her endure his slow pace he did nothing to hinder her nails digging into his chest leaving red trails over him, just a little deeper each time her thrust. She went to nuzzle her head into his neck hiding from the sensations he gave her, now struggling to hold back herself. He'd made her so flustered and wanton for him.

  
"Oh no you don't. You arch yourself back there and display those beautiful breasts for me." She complied with his command. He leaned forward taking one of her nipples onto his mouth at the crest of a thrust. 

  
"Orsonnnn ....maker. Must you.... Fuck..." Kitah cursed and huffed at his antics, chomping on her lip but still unable to quiet her loud cry. He pressed down on her nipple with his teeth. That made him feel her shudder, her climax closing he stopped concentrating so much on holding himself back any longer. Taking a firmer hold on her hip thrusting into her at whatever pace he pleased. The sensation of which brought her to her crest quite rapidly. Kitah couldn't help but scream for him at the top of her lungs as she came, her fingernails scraping against him as she pulled her hands from him slapping them over her mouth as a mere afterthought. 

  
One moment later spurred by the feel of her Krennic tensed losing himself for a moment swearing loudly into her chest as he came streaming into her. Collapsed back into that chair inhaling deeply she followed against him. Panting much more shallow than him. He kept one hand in the small of her back, feeling the sweat on her sticking her hair down in a total mess now. He was the same and it wasn't all from the humidity. He didn't care just wanting to hold the pleasurable feeling somewhat suspended in their afterglow. She closed her brown eyes. Resting her head on his shoulder quietly enjoying the relative silence for a while before he unusually broke the quiet contentment. 

  
"Oh yes ... believe me... I missed you too... my dear." She inhaled just enjoying his very rare admission without any banter to combat it. Above that all she couldn't help but think about those damn smug troopers put there probably talking amongst themselves unintelligible through those damn modulators about her overly loud cries. Krennic as usual barely gave a fuck about it. It took little convincing from him for Kitah to join him in the shower, the previous one she had now totally defeated in purpose. She let him have his hands on her wherever he wanted and he didn't stop her from giving him as much in return. So much water wasting away at their behest.  
  


* * *

  
After Kitah lay lazily on her back more across the bed than straight in it twirling her fingers around a few wayward strands of her still damp hair. That breeze from outside while still warm had become a lot less humid as the star had started to set, changing the colour of the sky from its bright blue to all manner of purples, pinks and bright oranges. Kitah couldn't even think of anywhere she had been in her life that looked so beautiful. As it turned out Scarif's days were shorter than Thaere's given the smaller size of the planet. She let her eyes drift closed, she heard Krennic come in from the balcony from the sound the pack of ciggara's and igniter made when he dropped the down on the table next to an empty glass somewhere. She didn't even bother to open her eyes. 

  
"One would think you didn't need the stress relief of those things while you're here on leave Orson." She felt the bed move when he sat on the edge. He leaned over her and kissed her collar bone running his hand down over her exposed frame. If he could draw one positive from the tropical weather on this planet especially if he had to endure having the balcony doors being right open to the warm breeze it was that she was enjoying it by being naked and lazing about like a Corellian sand panther waiting out the heat, which was rather fitting. 

  
"I don't need it for stress relief at all, as you can no doubt still feel that's why I have you here Kitah. Have you ever considered I also partake in such vices purely because I enjoy it?" Kitah inhaled slowly always enjoying his idle touch, her own hand finding its way to the back of his following his movements with just her finger tips.

  
"You partake in a lot of things because you purely enjoy them. Like you say self indulgent." He let out a slightly indignant huff not able to stop what came out of his mouth next.

  
"I have worked very hard for a long time, longer than your lifetime to be precise to get to a point in my life where I am able to self indulge with whatever I want with little consequence. A concept someone your age with only a couple of shallow teenage relationships under your belt would not understand about men." He didn't exactly mean to sound so condescending but it did. She could have pulled her hand away from his but didn't. The only sign she gave that what he said stung in any way was to turn her head away from him ever so slightly. She could be too damn rational and understanding sometimes.

  
"You'll be too good for the next young man you find after being able to keep someone like me entertained on so many levels. Not all of them are physical. They're not going to appreciate what they have." He offered her in slight praise and just like that he tugged her attention back. She opened her eyes ever so slightly to see where he was sitting looking down at her in the strange angle she was lying across the bed. The corner of her mouth curled into a slight smile

  
"Young men are very annoying. You were one once you should know this." He would not have considered himself terribly annoying when he was younger, probably quite a few women who would agree. It was it when they wanted him to give any thought to lasting relationships that he was ever in danger of being annoying to women early in his career.

  
"Touché pet. As are young women. Yet here you are. Pestering me with your high morals about what I should and should not put in my body." The conversation safely swung in a more coy direction again.

  
"Is that so Orson? You don't hear me complaining about what you put in mine." She couldn't help it; he kind of set himself up for that one. His eyes lit up with a bit of a glint that she was so sharp that she didn't let that one get past her.

  
"Minx." Guess he wasn't the only one with a somewhat wicked sense of humour. Of course while one part of her brain was coming up with witty banter the other was still processing what he said to her about her teenage relationships. Kitah had considered his dig at her inexperience with relationships and men in general. He had made so many efforts with her recently to be truthful to her about things that she may not appreciate. Whether he was doing it to try and get her out of his life or keep her in it even Krennic had lost track, but Kitah also decided he could do with a small correction to what he had believed about her for so long. 

  
"You know Orson... I may have told you a small inaccuracy about my previous relationships..." His mood almost went immediately dour. He never liked it when she brought up that she had used her roundabout way of lying to him, her half truth tactic. He was usually good at sniffing out liars but she repeatedly made it difficult. It was a skill he might have had a use for if he could let her in on a few more secrets, sometimes a woman is much better at getting what one needs out of someone. But of course he couldn't tell her any of those things. 

  
"Out with it." He said bluntly. Kitah took in that brave breath she always had to do when she was quickly trying to get out anything of importance without stumbling over her words.

  
"Not one or two shallow teenage relationships. Just the one, silly short one. Really thought I was madly in love. What teenager doesn't? Until I left Corellia after I turned sixteen. Well he left me actually and then I didn't want him back in my life any more." Krennic couldn't say he was entirely shocked about that but hearing her say it made it a bit different than guessing.

  
"Just the one? So that first time I had you...that night we..." Krennic stopped to think about it, he realised he had made a rare mistake in his assessment of a woman. He had always thought her timidness for concern about her situation, thought more than anything she was just intimidated by who he was. Not the fact the last time she had been with someone they were her own age and didn't carry much weight of experience themselves. Fuck. That was some instinct he thought. He still somehow knew back then if he handled things the wrong way with her he could have very easily ruined himself such a find indeed. Just enough experience not to be whiny and annoying but not enough that it was ever too difficult to convince her to do things his way. Kitah inhaled and went on when he didn't continue his stalled sentence.

  
"Pfft sixteen, imagine that. The last time anyone touched me much less touched me like you did. It was such a bad ending to a brief relationship. Didn't want to say anything as over four years is an embarrassingly long length of time for someone my age to have not been with anyone else." She became flushed with aforementioned embarrassment, rolled her eyes a little and turned over away from him, being honest with him was difficult for her sometimes. He pulled her back by her other arm holding her there keeping her focus. 

  
"You just stay there." He grasped her chin making sure she was looking at him. "Don't be so ridiculous Kitah. You listen to me and you listen well, because you know I know better than you do. Why on Coruscant do some women believe a lack of partners or experience is something to be embarrassed about? I'll never understand it; I am a smart man but as long as I live I'll never get it. No man wants to be last in a long line. None. Any man that ever tells a woman he does is full of bantha shit. Do you have any idea how fucking amazing it felt for me to be able to do anything to you you had not experienced before? I am sure you don't because as I've just pointed out you have little to no idea how men think. Much less a man my age and career who's choices of women are usually ones with mostly equal experience." Krennic leaned back down kissing her against her neck giving her collarbone an attention getting nip. 

  
"It is no wonder you have always felt so amazingly good to me." He growled. She was still flushed with embarrassment, it was that wasn't it? Krennic slid his fingers from her chin and slowly across her lips she parted them just enough to lash her tongue over the tips. He drew his hand away taking it down to her pussy and resting them between her folds tracing lazily over her clit. Causing her to hiss back through her teeth at his touch. Krennic was wearing his wry smirk over proving a point to himself that she was still easily... 'Persuaded' to do things his way. The only way he likes anything. Kitah ran her fingers through his heavily silvered locks pulling him closer to kiss him. 

  
"I do so enjoy our little chats Orson." She barely managed to keep the sentence together through his touch. He returned her kiss. 

  
"Oh as do I... Always very... Insightful. Now hush." Somehow she always managed to bring out renewed vigour in him and he spent several hours showing her that later into the night.

* * *

  
  
Kitah was still sitting up straddled across him. She kissed at his fingertips while he rested them on her breasts. He didn't miss the melancholy expression on her face despite her affections even in the dull ambient light. He rolled his eyes. She of course didn't see him do it. 

  
"Talk to me Kitah. You wanted to see me and you're here. First night into the more than one you wanted and you are clearly already thinking of something unfortunate, more unfortunate than your 'embarrassing' admission from earlier. I would have thought you past all that by now." She smiled thoughtfully at him, of course he would know she was already getting ahead of herself. 

  
"Oh I am past that believe me. Can't help the feeling though. Maybe female initiation. Can't help feeling like I won't see you again for such a long time if at all after this trip. It bothers me so much and it's really beyond my emotional control. I know it shouldn't, I know I said I wouldn't let it. I know... This..." She gestured to him and back to herself "Us isn't anything. Was never meant to be." He moved his hands down to her sides, an irritated exhale on his lips. 

  
"I'll say this now so you won't spend this time ruining my fucking limited leave by being morose. No, you still can not make demands of my time. You will always get what you get but I will continue to make time for you for as long as you or I want it. This..." He made the same gesture between them as she did. "Does mean something to me but not more than my career or my life's work. You can freely go back to Thaere first thing in the morning if it doesn't suit you." She traced her fingertip over his collarbone and down over the blaster wound scar before tracing other idle meaningless patterns on his bare chest as she often did. 

  
"....It suits me Orson." It really didn't, it did nothing to allay her feelings of dread. But she would do what he wanted, she always did. He knew it. He threw her off and pinned her down.

  
"Good. Now stop your pouting." Kitah did indeed stop and laughed when she landed. Putting the unpleasant thoughts out of her mind til it was actually time to deal with them.

 _  
Fuck it._ He thought, staring at her sleeping from where he was leaning against the doorway of the balcony. Ciggara smoke curling around him like his thoughts. He knew she loved him. Even if she hadn't let it slip when she was drunk he knew it by the way she treated him. Krennic had never had another partner that treated him like she did, not even the woman who once put up with him for a similar amount of time before she declared him insufferable and left. But not Kitah. She understood his commitment to his work and how it would always come first, if she didn't understand that surely she would have opened her mouth about how she felt about him whenever it first popped into her head as opposed keeping it to herself knowing he didn't want to or couldn't handle anything more complicated in his life right now and only letting it slip out unintentionally and unknowingly while completely drunk.

  
She was smart enough to converse and even provide input at his own level, enjoyed talking with him. How she calmly tolerated his moods and his temper he was still unsure of. Even though he never snapped for very long at her, he needed her like that. Her calm way of handling his outbursts was exactly what always brought him down quickly when he was near her. If she was reactive and argued back it would only feed whatever he had lost his temper about and make him worse and he would have kicked her out of his life long ago. But above all that she craved his affections, his touch and his needs. How was he ever going to get rid of her like he had planned? Once upon a time it would have been so easy. He'd have wiped her out of his life without a second glance. 

  
Now he couldn't even bring himself to think of not having her be there for him whenever he wanted nor could he bring himself to tell her that either. He reminded himself of that deadline he had mentally drawn that when the battle station was complete and went into active service that would be the end of whatever 'this' was. He'd worked too hard to get where he was to let it all go so close to completion and for what the affections of a woman? It was a dangerous enough prospect that he kept constantly in check. Men had lost more for the same damn thing since the dawn of the galaxy and would continue to do so long after he was gone.  
  


* * *

  
Krennic had expected her to be kind of disappointed the next morning when it was raining and the skies were grey, no one ever thought of rain and Scarif together at the same time. But watching her standing out there in the rain like the eccentric she was showed she couldn't care less. The door was closed and she didn't hear him take a comm. She brushed her wet hair off her face, turning around when the glass doors made a sound, her strange smile fell away when she saw him standing in the doorway in his uniform. 

  
"Now why have you got that on? Aren't you on leave?" He motioned to her leaning against the balcony railing getting soaked.

  
"I'll see your why am I in uniform and I'll raise you a why are you still standing in the rain getting soaked..." She had to laugh at the phrase. 

  
"Didn't take you for a Sabac player Orson..." He walked out and stood in the rain with her. 

  
"Only in my youth. Still a lot of things about me you don't know." She looked over his rarely seen at least to her anyway weather resistant component of his uniform.   
  
"I am still standing out here because it's tropical rain. It's just different. I like the sensation. That's all. So I know you're not dressed like that so you could stand in the rain with me." She ran her fingers down the edge of his cape.

  
"No. An inspection needs to be run on some important cargo that showed up unexpectedly early before it is shipped to its next destination. No secret that I am here, shore leave or not. So I go do this mundane task that my personal attention is required for and I'm back to being yours for the rest of the day. I mean if you are not too busy standing out here getting saturated..." He stepped up close to her with his hands either side of her keeping her pressed against the railing. Kitah suddenly became acutely aware of how high up it was when he had her back to the railing, glancing at the long way down over her shoulder. He knew she was only scared out of instinct. He's leaned down and purred against her ear over the sound of the rain "... when there are other ways you could be getting wet." He smirked when he heard her breath hitch. Having had the desired effect on her he stepped back and went to go back inside. 

  
"Orson...." He paused on his way and looked back. She tapped her head "... Don't think I ever told you before that cap makes you look younger." He raised an eyebrow under it.

  
"Is that what you want... hm?" She shook her head a coy smile on her soaked features. 

  
"Ah. You won't trap me that easily Director. It was just an observation." She watched him crack his neck a bit before he turned to go back inside. He paused one foot in the door. 

  
"Tell you what, why don't you come with me? You wanted to see more of the island didn't you?" She glanced up at the sky and then back down to the beach. 

  
"But it's raining? Not sure this is how I imagined seeing the beach up close..." He huffed with mock exasperation and licked his bottom lip 

  
"Aww. It's alright for you to stand out here in the rain but not alright to come on a little inspection with me hm?" He made a show of shrugging "Very well. I'll consider your rejection the next time you want something from me..." He was using his indistinguishable tone again. 

  
"Alright ...alright... No need for you to do that to me to get your way... I'll come." She pulled herself away from the railing to go inside. He stayed standing in the doorway catching her by the chin as she tried to get past him. 

  
"Oh I am sure you will. I think you like me getting my way no matter what that might entail." She took his gloved hand off her chin, undoing the stud and planting a kiss on his wrist. She had not done it for so long or had not been there to do it he had forgotten how much it flustered him. Obviously she had not.

  
"I might. Then again you like it sometimes when I get mine as well." She let his hand go to go find her uniform. He was absolutely not going to give her a retort to that. Frustratedly tugging his glove back where it should be and doing the stud up again. Clearly she still liked to fire him up when she knew he had other places to be or things to do and couldn't act on his impulses. He never let her go without her comeuppance for it. She obviously still thought having a slight upper hand over him for even a short while was worth it. Not something he let just anyone get away with. 

  
She walked towards the door where he was waiting once back in her uniform. She curled her hair around itself and leaned forward before tucking it in her hardly ever worn cap. Figuring it best to keep it neatly away given how much it had increased in length since being off the station. Not to mention it helped hide that still healing cut above her eyebrow. Before he opened the door he grabbed her forearm firmly.

  
"You remember how to behave hm?" She gave him a halfhearted look of offence. 

  
"I haven't been away that long Director."

  
"My apologies for the assumption Cadet." She knew there was no way in hell he was actually sorry for that. The smirk he was trying to hide was evidence to the fact. He opened the door and she followed him out. Somewhere between those quarters and the beach level they had acquired another two death troopers and an inspection team with some scanning instrumentation. Kitah kept her observations to herself. But that was mining equipment. Density testing scanners. Usually used to identify unknown chemical and crystal structures. She thought about asking Krennic what he was checking but figured that the answer was likely to be something to do with the minerals being extracted from Scarif. 

  
Seemed a shame that such a beautiful planet had to have such rich material deposits in its crust. That would just be typical beautiful world's having that sort of thing seemed common in the galaxy from what she had seen. When the troop transporter stopped and doors opened to reveal the beach level close to the landing pads Kitah noted the whole base was still a never ending hive of activity, rain be damned. She followed the inspection group down the walk ways, looking up at the AT-ACT's that milled about. _Wow those really are even taller than an AT-AT!_ Well that was typical. She realised, more fascinated by the tech than the beach after all that complaint about the rain. After a short while of walking Krennic paused and turned to her the rest of the inspection crew stopped as well. 

  
"Cadet, your security clearance won't cover you to continue from here. So I ask that you wait here for the return of the inspection team. Understood?" While that was disappointing that she currently couldn't go further she understood. There was plenty of tech and other things moving about for her to look at while she waited. 

  
"Yes sir. Understood." He nodded and continued on with the rest of the inspection crew. Kitah milled around keeping out of the way of the various troops. It was only when she wandered too close to a console where a pilot was working that she heard them stop cursing at whatever the ship was not doing properly and address her. 

  
"So what did you do?" She looked around to see if the pilot was indeed talking to her and walked closer. 

  
"I'm sorry?" The pilot gave the console a swift kick. 

  
"What did you do to be assigned to him? Must have been something bad. Did you strike your superior maybe?" The last bit he said with a slight laugh. Kitah put her hands politely behind her back thumbs on her belt as she looked over at what he was doing a bit closer. 

  
"Hmm Is this one of those everyone hates their superior jokes I don't know about? Or are you hoping to catch me out saying something bad about my commander and then get yourself some praise for reporting me?" The pilot stood up straight again. 

  
"Well neither actually. He's just not the nicest commanding officer to be stuck being a cadet for. Believe me I've seen him bring a few to nervous hysteria." He kicked the console again "Kriffing pile of... Heh... Sorry. Just can't get this thing to talk to the shuttle communications array today. Wanted to fix it while I'm stuck on standby." Kitah looked up at the shuttle. 

  
"Zeta class.... I can't for the life of me understand how such a thing made it into production. But that's Telgorn for you, they couldn't even put their own engines in them, they had to get them from Sienar." The pilot gave the cadet a look. 

  
"You don't look like you fly. But you know your ships." Kitah walked around the console he had been fighting with and looked over it. 

  
"May I?" She asked since she spoke fluent ‘annoying piece of machinery’. He crossed his arms and stepped back. 

  
"Be my guest. Name's Rook." She glanced at his rank. 

  
"Ensign Rook? Shae. Cadet as you can see. I know a little about a lot of things. Not Sienar and Telgorn specifically but I've worked on Corellia and at Kuat and left Rendili last year so ships a ship for the most part. What isn't it doing again and tell me why I should have done something wrong to get assigned to Director Krennic?" She had a better look under the console as opposed to kicking it.

  
"Uh how do I know that you're not just trying to get me into trouble now? I really can't tell a cadet exactly. But yeah things he does like he certainly does a lot of yelling and goes through a lot of people in some places. There is a lot of people who well I guess get themselves transferred out of his command pretty fast. He has to be one of the worst officers in the military... Or... So I hear." Kitah yanked angrily on a tangle of wires as he said that. 

  
"I am sure he isn't the only one. Have you ever met Governor Tarkin?" Whoever had maintained the console last had just shoved everything back in and screwed it closed. Rook felt a bit safer about divulging his opinions of Director Krennic when she mentioned Tarkin being bad, guessing she wouldn't say so if she was going to do any reporting of her own. 

  
"Well no I haven't met him... Wait, you mean you have?" 

  
"I have had the... Dis... Pleasure I am afraid. Have you got a pair of pliers? I don't think it's your ship." He handed her a pair from his pocket. 

  
"But the console diagnostic says it's fine. So you r...really think Tarkin is worse than that guy?" Kitah pulled out several wires as the console flickered off. 

  
"It says it's fine because the diagnostic chip itself is malfunctioning and yes... I do actually. I've worked with the Director for a while as a bit of an assistant as you will. Errands and what not. Tarkin is the one that easily gives me the creeps. While he doesn't yell in your face he will give you backhanded insults and mess with you behind the scenes. I'd rather just get yelled at. At least you know where you stand with that sort of thing." She started putting the wires back in after untangling them she pulled the burnt diagnostic fuse out tossing it on top of the console. The lights all flickered back on when she plugged the last wire back in. The ship's system crackled to life and Kitah stood up giving a satisfied nod at the console. She tossed the pliers up catching them by the tips and handing them back to Rook. 

  
"Sometimes you can't trust machines." He put the pliers back in one of his pockets. 

  
"Well guess I'll have to put the burnt out fuse on the maintenance report and... Tell someone a cadet could fix something I couldn't." Kitah laughed leaning on the console. 

  
"Oh I'm sure it's not that embarrassing. We can't be experts at everything." She stood straight and dusted the sand off her uniform after messing around under the console. When she finished tidying herself up she noticed Rook had quickly stood at attention in just enough time for Kitah to hear a new voice from behind her. 

  
"Is there a problem here cadet?" She turned to see another officer behind her, searching quickly for his rank. 

  
"No Lieutenant Commander sir."

  
"Then might I enquire as to your presence? I believe you are no doubt holding up this pilot from any duties that he should be filling rather than talking to some lost cadet." Kitah's eye winced a little at his strong Imperial accent that he was also desperately trying to punch up to make himself sound more superior than he actually was. It served only to remind her that Krennic clearly had more working class origins than most Imperials, perhaps this is what he was getting at about having worked so hard to get where he was. Why did everyone keep thinking she was lost? 

  
"Cadet?!" The officer impatiently snapped again when she didn't give him a quick enough answer. 

  
"Sorry sir, I was part of Director Krennic's inspection team but I was directed to wait at this point due to my cadet security clearance. I am only doing what I was instructed to do. I believe this cargo pilot is on stand-by. I did not think I was bothering Ensign Rook here." She kept quiet about fixing the console. The Lieutenant Commander glared at Rook. 

  
"Is that correct, are you on standby or if I was to call the tower they would tell me something different?" Kitah had already picked Ensign Rook to be a nervous sort of man. Took one to spot one. Well, an old one to spot one. 

  
"N...no sir. Actually I am...w... waiting to hear back from the very same inspection team."

  
"Right. So I am to believe you are both not just standing around chatting but have good reasons for being here? How convenient. Especially you Cadet..." She narrowed her eyes a little and filled in. Clasping her hands together behind her back again. "...Shae." 

  
"Shae. Well, I am afraid I don't quite buy your story of being on the inspection team detail. You most likely saw them go past and decided that was a good cover story for your time wasting activities."

  
"B..but sir I did see her come through here with the inspection team." She did find it quite admirable the pilot would try to stick up for her. Of course this Lieutenant Commander was probably not going to react the same way to a lower ranking officer trying to explain something to him as Krennic had once done to her. Still, admirable nonetheless. 

  
"Ensign take my advice and don't go digging yourself into a hole for some pretty little cadet. It would not be worth having it on your service record for disrespecting an officer to do so. Why would she even be on the inspection detail if her security clearance was so low that she has to cool her boot heels here then?" Rook found himself standing at attention all over again. Kitah did it too although not as quickly or as harshly as Rook had. 

  
"If you think showing me more respect all of a sudden is going to help you then you are mis.."

  
"Lieutenant Commander Harce." Harce hoped desperately that someone was playing a prank on him right now and that wasn't who it sounded like actually standing behind him. 

  
"Who I do and do not bring on my inspections has absolutely nothing to do with you." Harce turned slowly to see not one of his peers playing a joke as he had hoped but Director Krennic as he had feared standing there with his arms folded across his chest, a pose Kitah knew that as 'Orson speak' for thoroughly unimpressed. The now detached inspection crew was heading back towards the base behind him. 

  
"Sir. Sorry for the misunderstanding. It is just this Cadet here..." Krennic had overheard the whole conversation while directing the inspection crew back to the base, before the pilot or Kitah had seen him approach behind Lieutenant Commander Harce.

  
"Told you exactly why she was there. Yet you took it upon yourself to inflate your meagre sense of importance and attempt to make an issue out of it. You can now spend the rest of your time here shadowing General Ramda and doing every petty little thing he needs doing.” Krennic knew General Ramda was one of the most lax officers at Scarif and never set foot outside the Citadel. It was an agonisingly boring detail to be assigned. 

  
“Ensign Rook, you are no longer on stand-by and you will collect the cargo off that vessel and transfer it to its final destination. Expeditiously." Rook nodded 

  
"Y...Yes sir. At once sir." He nodded politely at Kitah before scurrying to his post. Lieutenant Commander Harce was looking the slightest bit confused at Krennic's last part of his order. Krennic had stepped off away from the confused officer already. 

  
"Cadet." He said in his expectant tone. She followed Krennic pausing for a moment so Harce could hear her. 

  
"The Director means to be done with speed and efficiency. Sir." Kitah trotted for a few steps to catch up to Krennic's purposeful strides. 

  
"Just can't help yourself can you." He said once out of earshot of the officer. 

  
"I was not being insubordinate sir. Guess I just look out of place no matter where I am. Besides... I helped fix a faulty console I wasn't standing around doing nothing." Krennic didn't think she looked out of place at all. He thought the only place she did look out of place surrounded by all that junk, filthy from head to toe wearing work overalls on Thaere. Ironically one of the only places she felt like she really belonged.

  
"Harce should be grateful he has this posting and only got it because of his family's standing in Coruscant, friends in high places and what not. Discuss anything of interest to me with that pilot?" She lifted her hat tucking some stray hairs back under it and wiping more of the rain off her face. 

  
"Oh I seem to think he finds you rather intimidating. Asked me if I was afraid of working with you in so many words. I asked what he was doing there conversationally. He just said just waiting on stand-by, I mean as well as becoming violent with that console there. So guess with my interrogation skills I won't be getting a job at the ISB any time soon if you wanted more from him. Will you be expecting any more interruptions during my posting to Scarif sir?" He had to shake his head an amused expression present on his rain streaked features. 

  
"No Cadet. I don't predict so. As a matter of fact I believe I was on leave before I was most inconveniently disturbed by an early cargo ship arrival. As for the ISB who knows maybe you could, you might just be employing the wrong skill set." He mused thinking about her earlier success at drawing details out of him.

* * *

  
The afternoon's warm tropical rain had deteriorated into one of Scarif's not that uncommon thunder and lightning storms by late into that night. The rain hammered against the closed glass of the balcony doors. Krennic had one arm resting above his head while the other rested over Kitah's back, his fingertips tracing lightly down her scar. She was resting at an angle that let her look outside, only to make out the shape in the dark by the flashes of lightning that drowned out the many other lights outside attached to the never ending stream of vessels. The pad lights and other various things blinked and flashed out there. But with no degree of clarity to her. 

  
He had collected his revenge for her earlier torment the moment she stepped inside after the inspection. She didn't really mind of course knowing how that would eventually play out the moment she wound him up. After which they'd eaten and drank the latter part of the daylight hours away, of course the availability of things at Scarif was nowhere near as self indulgent as some of the things Krennic had accustomed her to on the battle station but it was passable. Kitah had even shared a few puffs of a ciggara with him when he offered, not so much to just appease him but to let him know she heard him when he said he was more than entitled to do certain things because he enjoyed them. Hell that's why she did it when she was a teenager anyway. 

  
Krennic still liked that she still looked for ways to please him. _No..._ He thought. Please him was the wrong turn of phrase. She tried to make him happy was more accurate. He could be easily pleased without being happy. That's what had brought them to where they were now so late into the night after for the first time in a long time they'd made love. There was nothing rushed or lustful about it, just slow, passionate and intuitive. Krennic had struggled to think when the last time that had happened actually was. 

  
He wanted to tell himself it was when he went to Thaere nice as that was she was drunk so he didn't count it the same, no it was months before that. In those days before she left the station. Somewhere there. Those few days just dragged together in his mind anyway. It came to him more precisely when they shared a shower before getting back in bed. After all, what else does one do when it is raining when the other options have been exhausted. 

  
"You going to stay awake and stare out the window all night Kitah?" He felt her jump a little when his voice broke the long silence. 

  
"... How did you even know I was still awake, Orson? Your eyes are closed." 

  
"Because. I know what you feel like when you are asleep against me. I also know how you breathe when you're asleep and if you were asleep you would not have jumped." She kissed his chest. He knew all that yet he rarely ever let it be known to her that he ever paid that much attention to those little things. 

  
"I'd just rather be awake for as long as I can. Because I know the moment I fall asleep I'll be getting woken up, it will be tomorrow and I'll have to leave." He lifted his arm off her back shaking his wrist and looking at his chrono. 

  
"It is already tomorrow Kitah. So rest assured you can now safely fall asleep as the more you lie there tense and not falling asleep you are keeping me awake as well." She guessed that was a bit unfair of her. He probably didn't want to stay awake thinking about it either. Of course he didn't protest when she wanted to spend several long moments kissing him before giving up her window watching vigil and falling asleep.

  
The white noise of the activity, the ocean and the renewed humid breeze hit her all at once when she sat up abruptly. Almost panicked looking for her glasses until she could see and her eyes settled on him sitting in that chair reading his datapad again. 

  
"Orson! Why did you let me sleep so late?" He barely pulled his eyes away from what he was reading. He was very calm compared to her. Probably because he had been up for hours like usual. 

  
"You were exhausted? You don't have to be up early? Because I can? Pick one. Pick all if you like, I don't care much." He might have been in a slightly bad mood, she could tell. No doubt because this was also his last day of so little leave before returning to the grindstone for who knew how long. She inhaled and calmed down before getting out of bed. This time he lifted his head from the datapad and watched her. 

  
"Much better. I don't like hysterical women. You know that." She leaned down and kissed him. 

  
"I think you calling me hysterical is a bit of a stretch, Orson. Just didn't want to sleep all day when I have to get ready or when I would rather spend the little time I have left with you as opposed to sleeping all day, I can do that back on Thaere." He shook his head 

  
"Oh no woman you were definitely hysterical." She knew he was taunting her. Ironically that set the tone for the whole rest of the morning. Kitah testing his boundaries again as to how much she could get away with taunting him before she had to give him some apologetic piece of affection. It was just nice she thought. The kind of thing that reminded her that she did truly enjoy his company when he wasn't being difficult. When she was packing her bag she came across the silver prototype she had totally forgotten about. But, perhaps it would alleviate some of that nagging bad feeling she had if she could get him to keep it. Who knows when it could come in handy on a ship. Convincing him to take it from her on faith was another matter.

  
He responded with a roll of his eyes after giving him some vague explanation of her crazy notions. She guessed he was back to being difficult. 

  
"So you wont tell me what this does yet you want me to carry it on my person at all times because you have a bad feeling? Really Kitah? You know I don't buy into such malarkey. Even less when you call it female intuition. I believe in the force more than I believe in that nonsense." She paced back and forth again. The more he thought about it the more she reminded him again of a Corellian sand panther. Only this time it was an annoyed one stuck in a cage somewhere it didn't want to be. 

  
"Please Orson, I really do not ask that much of you do I? You could quite easily take one of those recharges for your blaster out of your belt and put this in its place they are practically the same size. It's not like you need them all now." She came to a stop mid pace in front of him. "Are you seriously going to make me beg you for this?" Krennic could have very easily made her do that. But that wasn't the sort of thing he liked making her beg for, women who begged for things outside of the bed annoyed him and Kitah also knew that. So he knew she must have been getting frustrated with his refusal to even suggest she do that. 

  
"Fine. No I don't expect you to go doing that. Since you have obviously convinced yourself it is somehow for my own good that I carry this whatever it is around with me. It does what again?" She didn't want to tell him what it really did because she knew there was no way he would trust to keep it on his person otherwise given how many positive and negative outcomes it could have. He liked certainties, not maybes. Or he would try to pull it apart and that would be equally as bad. 

  
"I really would rather not say. Look it might just be something that who knows might save your life. But don't go setting it off unless you are pretty certain your life is in imminent danger... Because... well. Because." She knew her vague and unconvincing answers were not the way to make Orson Krennic do anything that he didn't want to do. So she took a different route. She put her hands on his cheeks, stroking his face gently with her thumbs. 

  
"Orson, do you still trust that I would not do anything to intentionally harm you? Surely you do?" Her brown eyes giving him a firm but pleading stare. Despite her touch he snarled one side of his face in annoyance, his intense blue gaze causing her to have to avert hers after a fleeting second. Only then did he cave.

  
"Alright. Alright! Enough! Fine." He snapped. He grabbed one of her hands away from his face and kissed her wrist like she had done to him the previous day. "Only because quite correctly you really don't ask me for much of me at all so it must be important." Women who hadn't even had to put up with him for a week had asked more of him than Kitah ever had. She sighed with relief when he at least agreed to take the prototype without too much explanation beyond how to activate it.  
  
  
"I hope you will be prepared to explain what it does in the near future however." She nodded. Sometimes he surmised, she trusted he would do what he said he would do way to easily. Krennic had no intention of carrying around some untested piece of gadgetry around over something he knew for sure was actually useful.

  
"As soon as my 'nonsense' feeling goes away... Of course I'll tell you." He scoffed, keeping her close by her wrist he had hold of and kissed the top of her forehead. 

  
"Foolish girl."  
  


* * *

  
Kitah thought she felt awful after the one night Krennic came to Thaere. Awful did not begin to cover how she felt leaving after almost three days and two nights with him. She could barely manage any meaningful conversation with Captain Pterro on the way back to Thaere. Thoroughly depressed would be the best description. 

  
"He will be fine." Pterro said to her after another enduring silence. Kitah forced a halfhearted laugh to try to distract from her sulking. 

  
"Of course he will be, not sure about me though." Pterro produced an equally halfhearted laugh about it in return as the shuttle dropped out of hyperspace before Thaere.

  
"I don't hear anyone having sympathy for me. I am the one who has to go back to work closely with him after you leave. I'd rather do errands for a rancor. It's about the same." That made her actually cheer up and laugh properly. 

  
"Oh I am sorry Dunstig... I didn't realise he actually missed me enough to do that." All too soon the shuttle set it's landing gear down on the tarmac of Kitah's tired looking base.

  
"He does. In his own way." He shut the shuttle down. Kitah reluctantly dragged herself out of the chair and picked up her bag. It was dark outside and probably some unmakerly hour. A time difference Krennic was yet to respect. 

  
"Thank you for getting me back and forth safely again. I realise it isn't actually part of your job description." He tugged his hat down a little. 

  
"Don't give it a second thought. Not like I mind having something different to do. Besides it's an order." She hoisted her bag up onto her shoulder and looked at her house. Well that was going to be fun. Not. 

  
"You take care Captain, thanks again and if he does go acting like a rancor tell him I would not approve!" He laughed and nodded. Turning to head up the closing ramp, knowing there was no way he would ever survive actually saying that to his superior. It was an amusing idea though. 

  
Kitah made haste to be away from the engine kickback before the shuttle lifted off. Just like that she was left to her own devices again. How long could the memories of those few days keep the nightmares at bay she wondered. Though she was glad it was already halfway through the night and she didn't have to endure Adarn giving her a lecture, she would have a few hours before the morning to push down any morose feelings and pretend like she was fine with the way things were. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 🎵 ["With You Til The End" (feat. Sam Tinnesz)](https://youtu.be/eT_wKFBgYlo)  
> Well, that's it. The last of this story that takes place before Rogue One begins. I can only put it off for so long... Watching Orson Krennic grapple with what little emotion he has outside of rage and ambition can be quite difficult. I must also say that this line -  
>  _He'd worked too hard to get where he was to let it all go so close to completion and for what the affections of a woman? It was a dangerous enough prospect that he kept constantly in check. Men had lost more for the same damn thing since the dawn of the galaxy and would continue to do so long after he was gone._  
>  Is probably one of my absolute favourites out of an insane amount of lines/thoughts he has in this story. 
> 
> * [ General Ramda ](Sotorus_Ramda) "What all of them?!" - Yes. ALL of them.


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So here we are, we're in the end game now. The time line of this chapter of course fits in with Rogue One the movie. So I hope I have written it in a manner to which you can believe it is indeed taking place behind the scenes. Obviously an angsty chapter...

* * *

**  
  
** Rogue One timeline has now been reached. 0 BBY ****

  
Kitah sat up in bed in her usual cold sweat. She'd been having one of those vivid dreams where one can't tell the difference between what is in the dream and what is outside in reality, guess that was a change from the usual nightmares. When she did come to her senses enough though she realised it was her actual comm beeping not the one in her dream. She fumbled for it on the bedside table finding it in the dark. 

  
"He..hello?" There was a short pause. 

  
"Asleep at your desk as usual?" 

  
Krennic. His tone was calm without even a hint of sarcasm. Kitah yawned her sleep away, she was beginning to think this whole comming her in the middle of the night or early hours of the morning was deliberate. 

  
"It might actually interest you to know I was actually not asleep at my desk. I'm actually... In my house in my bed. Which is of course... Terrible and honestly Orson have you no respect for time zones? Not every planet in the universe runs on Coruscant time. Thaere being one of them."

  
He was angry, so angry. Angry was probably a lacking term. Tarkin's humiliating stunt had almost pushed him to the brink of his sanity. He'd done his yelling and done his screaming, so much so he was sure he'd burst a blood vessel somewhere. He still had not fully processed it all yet. Though back in his quarters for a brief moment he was able to claw back some of his lost composure. 

  
"Why is it so terrible for you at home in your own bed Kitah?" She shuffled the sheets around when she stayed sitting up tucking her leg under her getting comfortable. It was unlike him to care so openly about trivial things such as this when it came to contacting her. She was always left to just assume if he didn’t specifically make a comment on something one way or another then it was perfectly fine as is. Krennic never had time nor concern for the trivial coming and going’s of others, even her. She had already started to feel something was off, starting with small talk was another thing that he just didn't do. He was always direct and to the point.

  
"Why do you care so suddenly hm Orson?"

  
Krennic sat on the edge of his usual chair leaned forward, he'd opened his collar not able to stand another minute of it stifling against his throat. He'd already had a couple of drinks that had done little to calm him, the ciggara still burning down in his fingers had done a slightly better job. He pinched the bridge of his nose for a moment all he wanted was just a distraction. Something so far removed from where he was right now. Anything that wasn't Tarkin, Erso or even the damn battle station. It wasn’t like he was going to go around and hunt down some other source of relief to his stress. He already knew he didn't want to no matter how inclined he would normally feel. _That is her fucking fault anyway._ He tempered his tone so the rage in his mind didn't come out of his mouth.

  
"Humour me."

  
His insistence on being answered just made her wonder even more as to what he was up to. Part of her felt like it was some sort of a trap he was waiting for her to walk into depending on what her answer was. Wouldn't be the first time he had done that either. Kitah was wary of his odd behaviour, if Krennic was anything he was a creature of habit, anything outside of that was to be taken note of.

  
"Humour you? Well, I don't like sleeping in my empty bed in my empty house. Reminds me... Well it reminds me of being stuck there. On the station, locked in your quarters for any of those long periods when you were gone." 

  
She had still never really gone into detail about the fact most of the time she tried to sleep alone she was plagued by nightmares or when she started sleeping with him they had stopped. While he had often passed comment on how tired she looked whenever he returned Kitah knew he always thought that was from one sleepless night before not the entire time he was gone. Her answer had helped; it provided some relief. Krennic thought she would perhaps find it a bit unsettling that just knowing she was miserable without him then as much as now managed to take the edge off his mood. His presence was known for making many suffer, he knew it and it was often deliberate if it served a purpose but no, not her. She still somehow managed to find anguish in him not being around while others would feel bad about when he didn't do quite the opposite in fact. 

  
"Today of all days, I would have given just about anything for you to have been here, in equal parts that I am so glad you are not. Right now I am just... pleased to hear that you still need me."

_  
Need you is right. _She glanced around her dark room, outside to the blinking power lights on top of the perimeter fence. How did she even deal with being alone there she wondered. 

  
“I guess I should be concerned that you find my suffering in your absence pleasing. But I am actually more concerned that there is something wrong. You never come out with such things it's just not like you at all. You are not alright are you Orson?” She heard a sound, like a drawn breath. Though she wasn't sure if he was inhaling or exhaling, she had already figured out that he was probably smoking, long having given up admonishing him over it after her trip to Scarif. Suddenly glad it was only a voice comm, she didn't think she wanted to see him like he sounded.

  
"How is it you know? You always fucking know. I knew I let you too close to me try as I might to not let you do so. You really should stop picking up when I comm you, you know that?" He snarled and wasn't sure how serious or sarcastic he was being. It just came out and he made no attempts to stop it. Kitah couldn’t really read his tone either but she knew he wouldn't have commed her in the first place if he didn't want her to pick up. He heard her sigh, would she cut the connection now perhaps? No. He knew she wouldn’t do that to him for such a minor snap. 

  
"I just know Orson. If there was one thing you did before anything else, before you even trusted me to leave your quarters, you placed the first amount of trust in me by letting me see what you could be like behind closed doors. I had a long time with you being the only person in my life and I know you don't let people see you at your very best or your very worst. It's always some scale you set for everyone depending on the occasion."

  
_Fuck her._ How did she do it really, was that really it? Did he really do this to himself by keeping her there? She was still too smart for her own damn good. If she had been stupid and annoying like most young women he would have been able to easily get rid of her like he planned and not gotten to this stage of familiarity, repeating it in his mind over and over never had any effect on his actions. Comming her for just the comfort he found in hearing her be concerned. Missing her in his life of all fucking things. The fact he had caved and told her that whatever their twisted little tryst was it meant something to him and that was problematic enough as it might be true. 

  
"So where am I now on this scale you seem to think I have then?" There was no hesitation or pause in her response.

  
"You are near the worst. You never comm me just to hear my voice so to speak. Yet here you are. Doing just that, I can tell that's exactly what you are doing Orson. So I think something is very wrong indeed." 

_  
Understatement. _ He would very much have preferred to be able to have contacted her with the elation that his life's work was proven successful. Even if he couldn't tell her that it worked, that last piece of a puzzle that had taken him almost two decades to put into place. That it had exceeded all expectations, that even she would never have to worry about not being safe as no one would defy the Empire and the little rebellion would be over. No instead Tarkin's stunt had made a considerable chink in his armour. So had Galen fucking Erso. He had not yet begun to make that man suffer. Galen would see just how good he had had it over the past thirteen years.

  
"Orson?" He realised he'd been fuming in his head in silence.

  
"You have not seen me at my worst. Close but not quite."

  
"Only close?" She regretted asking the second the question left her lips.

  
"Well I didn't pull the trigger with you now did I?" He said with a slight snap. She left his rhetorical question unanswered, people didn't live through his worst. Hu'yohr had seen his worst Kitah reminded herself, reminded herself too just how close she came to his worst when he felt utterly betrayed by her. She left a long enough pause to let him know that she understood him clearly.

  
"I guess of course you can't tell me what's wrong can you ..?"

  
"Of course not. Not with any detail. However you should know the battle station was made complete and fully operational today. Just in time for fucking Tarkin to usurp my command and take it over from me. My life's work and he does absolutely nothing to earn it." Kitah almost hurt physically at his words. She knew it was his everything, his military career and his whole life's work. 

  
So that's why he was like he was, he was so angry he didn't know what he wanted to do with himself. If there was one thing that Kitah possessed that Orson Krennic really did not, it was empathy and right now she had it in abundance for him. She forced a smile so it didn't sound through in her voice. He would loathe that, the thought of anyone sitting around feeling sorry for him.

  
"Do you want me to come see you? I do actually have a Lambda shuttle now... you would be happy to know I stripped the LAAT down for parts..." She heard a small scoff on his end. _Well that was a start._ She closed her eyes a moment, easily able to visualise that wry smirk he got when he found something quietly amusing. 

  
"I'll have to question you later as to how you acquired that. But no. Pleasurable as that idea would be, you would not be permitted. Nor would it be safe. Especially now Tarkin has taken over command. For now. I have actions I can take to begin to rectify the situation at hand. So yes it is true, perhaps I did indeed just want to hear your voice. I don't know when I'll get another chance to talk the way things are developing." Kitah ran her hand roughly back through her messy bed hair. She understood why he could not have her around but it frustrated her no end to hear him like this and not be able to do anything about it.

  
"How am I going to go back to sleep now Orson, I'll just be worried about you."

  
"Worrying has never served anyone any purpose at all, you said it yourself last time I was out there stress will age you. So don't be so inefficient Kitah sitting around stressing over things you can not change, if I wanted to fuck someone who looks my age I'd go find them." She laughed softly and shook her head unseen to herself. 

  
"Mnn no you wouldn't Orson, you like fucking me just fine among other things." Well he conceded she was right about that, none the less he dodged giving her a direct retort. Mentioning that he would not go and find someone else irked him somewhat, he would rather her not be so certain of what he would or would not do.

  
"You want to sleep Kitah? Go have a decent drink not one of your soft glasses of wine. Still works for me." Krennic heard another soft sound of amusement from her end. 

  
"Your solution while not ideal will probably do the job. You still have that device I gave you on Scarif?" He glanced over at it on his desk, he had it. Although she would probably not be pleased to know of how he never carried it with him despite her insisting. It took up the space of a recharge for his blaster, sure he probably didn't need three recharges but he at least knew what they did. Rather than putting faith in the unknown. 

  
"That your female intuition acting up again? Still won't tell me what function it performs?"

  
"Let's say... Yes it is. And no, won't tell you that. Just that gentle reminder of don't go setting it off accidentally and don't go setting it off unless someone's about to oh don't know blow your head off with a blaster.” She prodded about the blaster shot feeling somewhat in poor taste considering what he had done on her property. “Cos yeah I'd hate for you to use it and then not need it but to have it kill you anyway..."

  
"Nothing so absurd would ever happen to me you know that. I must go, I have a security breach to take care of first and foremost." She knew deep down he actually liked that he had her worrying about him, despite him trying to brush her concern off. He had admitted it before. But that may have been a rare moment of weakness that he didn't care to revisit. 

  
"You take care Orson." He hung on the connection a few moments then terminated it without saying anything else in return. He didn't want to say anything he may regret later, he would have told her that he would expect to see her when the whole mess was sorted out. He wasn't going to even humour her silly female intuition. That was the same kind of nonsense as the Force. But he had already seen Vader use that on Geonosis so he had to accept that was real. After preparing to leave, he got two steps away from his desk however, picked up her little invention and removed one of the recharges for his blaster and put the similar sized cylinder in there instead. He rolled his eyes for even doing so just because she had nagged of all things. 

  
"Fuck her." He growled to himself before leaving for Eadu; miserable planet of never ending rain. She was still distracting after all this time. But that was kind of the point of contacting her before he left, wasn't it? Least now he would have the nerve to make Erso regret being born.

  
Kitah put the comm down on her side table. "... I miss you Orson." She sighed, kicking herself internally for not just saying it or even something more... profound before he closed off the connection. But that would have violated that unspoken agreement they seemed to have about their relationship if that's what it still was, that it meant something more but neither would say what that was exactly. She tossed her blankets off and went in search of a strong drink.  
  


* * *

  
Kitah brushed her hand back through her sweaty dirty hair and adjusting her half tied overalls, she had thrown herself into work as much as she could the next day to take her mind off the worrying conversation from the night before. Looking up at the pulled apart ship she was still not feeling inspired. Adarn ducking out of the hold of the ship they were working on and onto the ground stirred her from her straying thoughts. 

  
"I still don't get it. You got yourself a friend in a high place like your... pal... Krennic and yet you're out here... Buried in all this chaos. When you surely coulda been doin more. I mean I know that what happened with ya prototype machine was a pretty big set back, did ya even ask im to study it? I bet ya never. Ya ever considered Goin back to tha military for a while?"

  
Adarn could just pick when Krennic was on her mind in one form or another ever since he'd seen her with him. Today it was a concern, she'd been clumsier than usual. Kitah shook her head at the very notion of going 'back', not something she would be able to do while Tarkin was lording over the station unless she actually put herself through the academy legitimately. No. She much preferred this, aside from the dull heartache she had never been happier. 

  
"And if I did go back? You wouldn't have any more work here and who would buy your pretty wife all the expensive jewellery you get sent here in the hopes she won't spoil her surprises?" A wistful grin gracing her features for a moment when she thought about the diamond and gem necklace in the box beside her bed. If only Adarn's sparkle obsessed wife knew what it looked like and what it had cost Krennic purely because he wanted to show her and it off. That said if he didn't care to give it to her he would have kept it from her rather than let her keep something so expensive.

  
"Yeah well I guess boss. But I jus hate seein ya like this. The guy should either jus tell ya how he feels.... Or let ya go. Stop keepin ya on a tractor beam yanno. It's not healthy for ya." Well that was ridiculous. It's not like she had ever told Krennic how she actually felt either. She only ever went into any form of detail about her relationship with Krennic with Adarn, the minimum that was necessary to make conversation when asked, more specifically pestered. She'd told him over and over that Krennic was just a good friend. Adarn had clearly just figured out he was a friend with several benefits on his own. 

  
Adarn had also been on her case about how Krennic was too old for her and not family material in some way or another. Sure he had just gotten married to a pretty Twi'lek girl who was all about kids herself. Tsmree never stopped talking about how many she wanted and what she wanted to name them all. Kitah had brushed them off many times about how she didn't have time for that sort of stuff anyway. 

  
Her work had always been more important, she'd had to explain many times that Krennic's own obsession with his work was one of her main attractions to him. Because he would never judge the very same obsession with her own work like everyone else did, Adarn very specifically included. The only time Krennic's age ever actually bothered her was when he brought it up in the same context that Adarn did; that for some superficial reason she should be with someone younger. Things she didn't like about Krennic were still outweighed by the things she missed horribly when he wasn't around. She didn't expect Adarn or even Krennic himself to get it.

  
"You worry too much about me Adarn. I know that you and your wife mean well. But I'm a big girl despite my age okay? Heh I remember you told me I was just a kid when you first saw me. You can't get that out of your head can you." He put down his tools and wiped his hands on a cloth. 

  
"Yeah well someone’s got to worry about ya. Anyway, the drives all pulled out. We can get ta work on the rest of it tomorrow. Ya not gonna sleep here again are ya?" She shrugged innocently, besides that was her job to worry about stubborn people who didn't want worrying about. 

  
"Hey I slept at home last night I'll have you know." _And I hated it._ "I might not intend to sleep here it just happens." It just happened a lot. It has gotten worse since that time Krennic did come out there to see her. She tried to tell herself she didn't like sleeping in the house because it reminded her about what he had done to Hu'yohr. But that was just a lie she told herself. She didn't like sleeping in the house because she knew what it was like to not be alone there now. Not even the trip to Scarif had eased her dislike of sleeping alone there, if anything it just made it even worse. 

  
Adarn tossed his hands up half heartedly and let his pestering go for another day before he cleaned up and left. Kitah had been up in her office for a few hours after Adarn left. She groaned after messing with schematics for that time. She was still struggling to figure out how to rebuild her system that had blown up. Why hadn't she made better notes? She wasn't even sure if she would ever get it rebuilt. Maybe she would cave one day and ask Krennic to help if he ever had the time to make use of his analytical mind and take notice of his admonishing her for disorganisation for a change rather than resisting him on it. 

  
Were she not so sweaty and dirty she might have let herself fall asleep in that chair. But she'd gone so hard at work today it really wasn't an option. A warm meal, shower and a change of clothes still did little to make her feel better. She knew it was unlikely that she would hear from Krennic, she heard from him rarely anyway. Why was it bothering her so much now? Probably because of him telling her of what Tarkin had done to him. That had to be it. The few glasses of wine she'd had at least made her have a mostly sleepless night rather than completely. She would be tired and regret it in the morning no doubt.  
  


* * *

  
As predicted Kitah was indeed too tired to throw herself into work with the same gusto the next day. She was only half focused on what she was doing. No amount of caf was going to fix that. Adarn watched her with concern throughout the day. 

  
"Well I didn't find ya sleepin on ya desk this mornin so I guess that was a good thing eh?" Kitah rolled her eyes a little.

  
"You know If I had Adarn... I would have been filthy... Had a sore neck but I would have been rested unlike how I feel now." In spite of his advice she stayed at it for the rest of the day. By the afternoon though she stood up from the ground and clanged her head hard on an open hatch. "You son of a rancor!" She kicked the shuttle and yelped about her foot. She pulled her hand away from her head seeing it was bleeding "Oh not again..." Adarn appeared from around the back of the shuttle they were wrecking, seeing Kitah hopping away from the shuttle holding her head, thankfully some how she had actually remembered to restock the med kits "I'm fine. I'm fine. I've got fresh bacta patches in my office."

  
"Give et a rest boss. Ya mind clearly isn't on tha job today. I'm off anyway... I'd rather ya didn't mess around in here by ya self" She held her other hand up in surrender that she really wasn't going to do any more work. Adarn nodded before he left. "Night boss. Whatcha head..." Kitah muttered about how she could have used that advice a few minutes earlier. After treating her head she had done exactly what she had been trying to avoid, fell asleep on her desk. 

  
The few hours of sleep she did get were shattered when her communicator started beeping at her. She sat her rumpled self up from her desk after finding it. "Mnn... Wha... What is it?" She fumbled around for her chrono to see what time it was; it was nearly three am... The transmission was encoded, she couldn't hear anything back yet. Kitah barely had the brain capacity to run a decoding sequence but eventually got it. "Wh.. who is this?... What?" It had to be someone after the wrong comm unit. She never got encoded transmissions.

  
"Can you come to Scarif?" The voice eventually crackled through. Kitah flinched one eye shut at the sound. She thought it was Krennic but couldn't be totally sure he sounded more off now than what he did the night before last. The connection was also terrible, either there was something wrong with the comm unit or there was a huge amount of interference. 

  
"Orson? What do you mean can I come to Scarif? Like what do you mean as in right now? Do you have any idea what time it is here? I Thought I said to you about time zones last we spoke which really wasn't that long ago..."

  
“Kitah! Enough!” He snapped firmly, stopping her from rambling on. There was a long pause after his snap making her think she had lost the connection. In actuality Krennic was just composing himself so he didn't continue to yell at her. He bit his lip, rolled his neck, closed his eyes and inhaled with frustration. It wasn't her fault. 

  
“Yes. Now preferably.” She slowly stood up from her desk and dragged her feet somewhat over to the windows of her office and looked down at the Lambda shuttle on the tarmac. The only ship she had with a functional hyperdrive that wasn't in parts. 

  
“Well yes I can get there if you need me to come right now.” She thought she heard him grunt with some sort of pain or discomfort, perhaps it was just irritation. No doubt problems still persisting from the other days upset. "Orson are you alright?" She felt she knew the answer to that before she even asked it out loud. 

  
"Mostly yes. All things considered." Kitah hopped around her office getting out of her work overalls kicking them off on the back of her chair. As she was pulling on a clean pair and half tying them around her waist when she squinted over at her main console. She fumbled onto her desk grabbing her glasses allowing her to notice the blinking light that indicated that her prototype device had been activated. She wondered if he had activated it mistakenly and almost killed himself, no he would surely say so. He would be yelling at her about that by now. Obviously a malfunction with the system, probably from whatever the same interference was with the communications. She could ask him when she got there, he didn't sound like he was in the mood for her prodding him for details. 

  
"I'll need a code to get in the shield there won't I? If I have to bring my own ship." There was another long pause in his conversation.

  
"The shield is gone. So no you won't." He knew it would be right about now that she would be starting to get ahead of herself and panic. Try as she might to not do that.

  
"Huh.. you mean the shield gate is gone?" There it was, her voice already started to go higher with concern. Krennic knew if he started answering her questions he wouldn't be able to stop. So he cut her off again to keep things concise and maintain her focus.

  
"It shouldn't take even you long to get here from Thaere. I know Captain Pterro...” He paused again. She heard another wince in his voice “...Taught you a thing or two about efficient flying and hyperspace travel. Make it a priority. You'll have to trace this signal for my location when you get here." Kitah was very confused. Everything about this call was totally confounding. His off behaviour had escalated even more than the other night, what could Tarkin or anyone else possibly have done now? 

  
"Okay. Okay. I'm leaving now." She pulled open her desk drawer grabbing her blaster out of it to go with her uneasy feeling. Before the connection was terminated Krennic added. 

  
"Oh, and Kitah... Listen carefully as this is very important. You would do best to avoid any Imperial ships. If you are inspected you're not going to Scarif and you have never spoken to me and never even heard of the battle station. If you have the chance, change course and go anywhere but here if you detect anything. Is this in any way unclear?" Now he had scared her. That tingle running down her spine again.

  
"N..No it's not unclear... Y...y..yes I can do that Orson but..Why am I.." He had already terminated the connection to avoid it being intercepted and getting her so worked up that she would not be able to even fly a ship. By time she went out onto the tarmac anyway she was in a total fluster. _What is going on? Could he be any more cryptic? Avoid Imperials? Whatever for?  
  
_

* * *

  
Krennic was hoping that by time she did get there the last remnants of the Imperial fleet above would have dispersed. The battle station had already moved on. That much he could see. So the fleet would have no other reason to stick around with rebels to pursue. There was nothing left on Scarif to protect. He was pretty sure that blasted rebels shot through his back had done some decent damage before it came through he was finding it a bit hard to breathe. He looked at the silver cylinder on the palm of his hand he couldn't even remember what had happened exactly. He remembered seeing the battle station on the horizon. 

  
Thinking about the device. She had told him it was only good for a case of imminent death and not to mess with it otherwise, he knew exactly what Tarkin was going to do the second he saw the battle station. He had the clarity of mind to stagger to the communication console and pull the data tape out of it before managing one last glance at the station above and activating the device. That's when everything went white. The high pitched ringing sound had actually made his ears bleed. At some point he must have passed out for how long he wasn't sure. But what brought him to was the sudden feeling of hitting the hard ground.

  
He staggered to stand on the destroyed ground beneath him. He looked around. The entire citadel was gone, the crystal blue waters gone, for as far as he could see it had become a rocky desert and the sky was some sickly dust filled red haze. Guess this is the fate that had been afforded to Jedah, he reflected momentarily that Tarkin should have just let him destroy the wretched moon. He could see it would be more humane. But as for Scarif right now he was mildly grateful Tarkin had also used a single reactor ignition lest he not be standing around to dwell on the destruction. All that information was destroyed. Not to mention the thousands of troops. Krennic only took further solace in the fact that the rebels were amongst them as well and somehow against a strange set of odds he wasn't. 

  
He took off his shredded cape and undid his collar one handed. He looked at the data tape. Very glad for the moment the things were almost indestructible. The impact should not have damaged it. Jyn Erso. That fucking bitch, how the fuck was she still alive. It was like a bad omen when it was clearly her who called out to Galen on Eadu. At least now every member of that wretched family was gone now. The youngest Erso mentioned the flaw in the machine. Deliberately put there to be exploited, Galen's revenge supposedly. Krennic would very much like to know what it was and how it slipped past.

  
Krennic was going to need to get a message out somehow. Lest he be stuck on this dying rock. Fortunately the shock wave from the blast had flung just about everything off the surface and back down again. What wasn't washed away by the boiling wall of water had been dropped back down amongst the rubble. For this he was glad to be no fool, injuries aside it had not been that difficult to get a makeshift communication device up and running from scavenged parts. Who knew that despite their propensity for being vertically unstable AT-ACT's were very resilient machines, the crumpled carcass of one still recognisable amongst the rubble. Of course, the bloodied twisted bodies of its crew in the cockpit attested that very little was going to survive such a weapon. 

  
Were he anyone else Krennic might have felt a little squeamish about working over the dead men fortunately for him he was not. Pulling the communications console out with the on board tools was easy enough when one has the schematic for the thing committed to memory. It had taken him several hours of scrounging parts from other wreckage sticking out of the rubble before he was able to come up with something he could not only communicate with but do it in an encrypted manner. He did not want anyone coming back to finish the job Tarkin had started.

  
Kitah's shuttle dropped out of hyperspace and she stopped within view of the planet to inspect it. She let out a shriek when a chunk of debris crashed into the shuttle almost immediately knocking it to the side. At least the shield held up to it. When she had calmed down and got a better chance to look she could see a huge debris field. What had happened? A huge battle it seemed. She felt a little sick when she could clearly recognise parts of at least one Star Destroyer. What could have possibly ripped one apart like that? She shook her head not wanting to study the wreckage further lest she see any remnants of the crew that were no doubt a part of it. There was other wreckage too of several ships she didn't quite recognise. Either they were too destroyed or she had never worked on them before. 

  
Kitah looked over at Scarif's surface, the shield gate was indeed gone. So naturally the shield was too like Krennic had said. There were no intact Imperial ships and no sign of the battle station that had once been stationed here. She took the ship into the strangely filthy atmosphere at least near where she remembered the location of the citadel to be. It was hard to tell without the shield gate. Where else would he have been besides there? Of course when she had gotten to that location there was a massive crater like desert. No water for as far as she could see, just rubble and destruction. Was it a meteor strike? Could that have taken it all out? Is that what shredded the ships above?

  
She pinged the location of the encrypted signal to get his location. It led her to where the crumpled AT-ACT hull lay amongst the rubble. Krennic had to admit to being relieved when he saw the shuttle after the mild concern as to if it was an Imperial Lambda shuttle passed given its lack of markings. When the shuttle landed and she came staggering down the front ramp looking clearly overwhelmed and shocked by what she saw. Krennic rocked forward off the wreckage he had been resting against. When she got closer she looked at the state of him and it didn't do much for her shock. 

  
“Wha... What happened?” She wasn't sure what that covered. She meant what happened in space, what happened to the planet, to the citadel and most of all to him. He looked awful. He could see that she clearly had indeed dropped everything to come to his aid. She looked at the overturned cockpit of the AT-ACT “I.. is there anyone else here or just y...” Krennic grabbed her with his uninjured arm around her chest stopping her when she got closer to the shattered view port of the cockpit. 

  
“Ah! You don't need to see in there. There is no one else here.” He rasped short of breath at the exertion as he turned her away from looking in that direction pulling her back against him. The whole move caused him to let out a grunt of pain, in this moment he didn't care. She barely managed to accept the details of Hu'yohr's death and she didn't even see that happen. He actually wanted to spare her the sight of the inside of that cabin for anyone else he wouldn't give a fuck. Now this time Kitah didn't mistake the sound, she stopped focusing on the carnage and looked right at him realising he had been shot. Kitah was about to ask him what happened again. Krennic cut her off before she could get started. 

  
“Later. Right now we really have to leave. It is not safe for either of us to be here. At least Thaere is so far out of the way there will be no Imperial forces poking around there for the moment.” Kitah looked at him even more confused while she helped him back to the shuttle at least as much as he would let her. Why did he want to go to Thaere? Aside from the fact it was her home he had no reason to go all the way out there when she felt he should have been getting seen to closer or at least somewhere more practical like Coruscant. He insisted on making it to the cockpit even when she thought he would be better off trying to lie down and rest but she knew trying to push him into something he didn't want to do was pointless. She drew the ramp up and took out of what was left of Scarif's atmosphere. 

  
“Tools. I need your toolkit. Now.” He said with a firm urgency knowing she always carried one with her since she got off the station. Her face made a strange curl of confusion. But she shrugged and pulled it out of her overalls pocket. He handed her the datatape he'd been hanging onto taking the toolkit to the control console undoing one of the panels 

  
“Hey what are you doing?” Not that she wanted to doubt him but she also didn't want to crash either. 

  
“Just fly the ship and don't concern yourself.” He groaned painfully lifting part of the console up and pulling out part of the navigation system. Taking the screwdriver to another well hidden section under the console whatever he did under there caused all the controls to flicker on and off for a moment. When they came back on Kitah tapped one of the screens with the ship's info on it. It all read zeros, the registration name and number had vanished off the display. 

  
“What did you just do?” He roughly dropped the part of the console back in unable to hold its weight longer with his injuries, causing another momentary flicker of controls before he tossed the toolkit back to her and sat in the co-pilot seat with simultaneous relief and discomfort. 

  
“I Turned off the indicate friend or foe transponder.” Well that was it she had enough of him being so vague and downright strange. She couldn't ever imagine him messing with something like that, something that was very illegal to do in the eyes of the Empire. That's what pirates and smugglers did to avoid being picked up by patrols. The fact he also knew how to do it so easily was a concern for another time. Kitah focused on calculating the lightspeed jump vectors once safely clear of all the wreckage in orbit around Scarif. Once she had the course set the first of at least three jumps and the brilliant blue shrouded the cockpit she gave him a stern look. 

  
“Alright Orson. Why are we avoiding the Imperial forces? That is an easy question, you can tell me that one.” Krennic pulled the now spent device she had given him out of his belt with a wince and held it up. 

  
“Because, Tarkin tried to murder me in the most poetic way possible. He would have succeeded if not for this device of yours. He did however succeed in wiping out the entire personnel of the Citadel base and probably most of the planet if not all of it eventually. Oh I am sure he would consider the miserable few rebels killed to be justification. Wonder when he will realise that his actions are too little too late in that regard. So we are avoiding Imperial patrols because I would rather tales of my demise not be greatly exaggerated. Because Tarkin would most certainly send someone to finish the job. Not just me, you as well and anyone who knows either of us are alive.” 

  
She knew exactly who he meant there. She felt a pang in her chest looking at the controls realising everyone else at that base was dead. That had to mean the only other person she had ever made time for on the station and that was Captain Pterro. Kitah wasn't going to mention that to Krennic either. She didn't think he needed to focus on that right now, especially when she could hear that his breathing was still laboured. She got up and took her prototype out of his hand putting it aside. 

  
“And this?” She pointed to where she had set the datatape he handed her. 

  
“Plans. For the battle station. Something I need to know is on it...” He rasped.

  
“Let me look at this.” She pointed to the scorch mark from the through and through blaster wound prompting him up so she could look at it. He rolled his eyes but did it anyway. Well he must have felt well enough to be himself she thought watching his defiance. She undid his belt and put it aside. Taking note of the fact his blaster was gone. How and where she wondered but didn't need to know. She undid the rest of his tunic beyond where he had already undone and took it off as gently as she could still to be met with him cursing through gritted teeth. This blaster wound hurt a hell of a lot more than the one Lyra had given him that was for sure. 

  
Kitah took as much care as possible when she undid and took his undershirt off as well. He snarled and cursed about it under his breath. She looked at the angle and location of the shot and went to fetch the ship's med kit. He had sat again by time she found it and returned. She tilted her head and got him to lean forward a little, running her fingers down his back. While it might have seemed like an affectionate gesture she was trying to determine what was actually injured by the shot.“I think you'll find one of your ribs is broken, well shattered. I'd say that's what has damaged your lung more so than the blaster shot itself. That's why you're having trouble breathing.”

  
“Brilliant.” He stated seething with more than his usual dose of sarcasm.

  
“Why did Tarkin destroy so much just to kill you? Sorry Orson this will hurt...” She inserted a syringe of bacta solution into the blaster wound to treat the internal injuries as best she could with the limited first aid the shuttle had on it. Unfortunately local anaesthetics not amongst the contents. 

  
“Fucking hell woman!!” He roared at her, clenching his fist. With nothing to numb the pain against a shattered rib and scorched flesh it had to be absolute agony. She couldn't help but take a step back. He was furious with pain, she didn't trust that he wouldn't lash out. She knew what he could do when enraged. Not that she thought he would do something to her deliberately, but he was suffering substantially and not just physically. Krennic sighed when he saw her take a step back, he had never wanted to see her cringe away from him in fear ever again. He'd let it happen just the once before and never again until now that was. It just made him angrier at Tarkin, even now he managed to interfere with something that was his. 

  
At least the old bastard wouldn’t have the satisfaction of knowing that. But he also knew that Kitah was brave and tolerant of him. She resumed her treatment on what she figured was the exit part of the wound. Feeling gently around it she concluded that his collarbone might have also been shattered. He cursed and swore again when she placed more of the bacta liquid into the wound before placing patches on it front and back. Kitah put a little of the gel on her finger treating the few small cuts and scrapes on him. No doubt from his scavenging efforts. Helping him put his undershirt back on as well as his tunic figuring warmth was better for the wounds than cold at least in regards to pain. 

  
“Probably best we put this in a sling so your arm isn't pulling down on the wound.” He nodded in agreement while she fashioned him one from the supplies in the med kit. The relief was visible on his features as soon as she had put his arm up in it and the bacta began to take effect.

  
“Why did he try to kill you? I mean I know the man never cared for you but to wipe out a whole base to do it?” Surely that was too much collateral damage just to kill Orson Krennic. Perhaps he had meant to get the rebels instead? She could not begin to know the intricacies of the battle. She brushed strands of hair off his face.

  
“Oh I am sure that Tarkin will pass it off to someone that it was necessary to destroy the citadel to protect the classified information there from the rebels, or to prevent the theft of the battle station plans. He failed miserably at that. Or to ensure the secrecy of the project was maintained. He would also be in search of a fall guy for him to blame all of the shortcomings involved with the station and its various issues over its construction from delays to the means used to build it or get materials. Things that would detract from his ‘perfect’ service record. Things that he would not have been able to accomplish that I did. It is much easier for him to take credit for its success if he has a dead man to blame for everything else. You can rest assured he knew I was there. He will just blame the rebels for what happened.”

  
She gently pulled him back against her and kissed the top of his head. Closing her eyes against him. She did not think she would have coped well if Tarkin had succeeded, whether it was deliberate or not but she knew that clearly Tarkin did not even bother to order the base evacuated. That was an Imperial protocol that even she knew well off the top of her head. She didn't feel so good when nearly losing him for good had started to sink in. Krennic on the other hand wondered if she would want to continue to give him her attention after losing everything from his command to his career. In fact his whole reason for living in the first place. Krennic caressed down her arm changing the subject. 

  
“So will you now tell me what that device of yours actually is?” Kitah glanced over at the now spent device. 

  
“What it was, you mean. Good for one use only and I can not make it again, at least not right now. I could dumb it down to the point of it being a very efficient shield generator. Of course that's what I had always intended it to be when I began the project. Trying to get ever more powerful shield generators into smaller form factors that took less energy and could last longer. I started scribbling around with the idea when I was about fifteen? I think.” 

  
At fifteen Krennic considered he was on Brentaal at that point having just joined the Republics Futures Program. He licked his bottom lip and had a short scoff to himself. Thinking that was somewhere Kitah would have belonged, had she even been born that was. He had narrowed her birth year down probably the same way she had. Right around the outbreak of the Clone Wars when all manner of chaos had broken loose in the galaxy and reliable record keeping fell to the wayside especially for impoverished regions. He was in his thirties and a Lieutenant Commander in the Republic military by then. 

  
“You find my development a source of amusement, Orson? Normally I would mind, but I am pleased for whatever manages to amuse you right now.”

  
“Not amused by your planning stages Kitah, something else I was thinking of. I am paying attention, believe me. Do continue.” He did very much want to know how her life's work had stood up to his own and won so to speak. She gave him a look, not doubting his claim. Although she wondered what he actually had been thinking about at that exact moment.

  
"Well... After I started at Kuat a bit over a year later I had a chance to read Grand Admiral Thrawn's mission reports about the viability of using micro jumps to get the advantage over an enemy in battle... Of course I actually started reading them not knowing I wasn't supposed to. But they were redacted for the most part since that's how Hu'yohr got them and if she was going to hover over me all the damn time then she could let me look at those reports!" Clearly these were issues she had not addressed properly as yet even after her former superiors death. Krennic gave her a look. 

  
“Ah so that's why Hu'yohr started accusing me of sending the ISB to her facility, amongst her rantings and ravings that set me off. You must have had quite the chat with the Grand Admiral indeed, I figured as much after he tried to pry as to if I had let you see anything you shouldn’t during your… assignment.” Kitah could hear that edge of jealousy in his voice. While he had never shown it or said anything about it back then it was clearly still there. 

  
"Look I know he is not your favourite person in the galaxy but I didn't realise who he was back then when I was reading those reports. Honestly it was the use of the hyperdrive in such a fashion that caught my attention. I wondered if it would be possible to create a system that could produce a micro jump so small it kept the ship virtually in place. Not having to move a ship at all and by varying the particle frequency you could even have a ship sit in hyperspace stationary and drop out in the same spot... Well I mean for that I then had to try and get hold of the Interdictor schematics to extrapolate the function required to keep something in a stationary fixture but in hyperspace. I began to surmise that if I was able to create a drive that could rapidly cycle between the two states essentially it would not be possible to hit it with any degree of accuracy or damage, you could even pass one ship right through another as opposed to crashing into it. That would of course mean conventional shields could be made much more efficient with the same system.”

  
“Unfortunately I was only able to see so much about it before I left Kuat, what I wanted to see was above my pay grade. So I had to focus my research and development on trying to make a system that could make micro jumps so small it would be minimal movement, without the gravity theory. But that was an inefficient and expensive process given the amount of hyperdrives I blew up doing it. When the number crunchers at StarDrive started looking into the 'accident' rate in my lab when the costs kept getting written up, I had to find another way to cover the costs so they wouldn't keep poking their noses into it. You already know how I accomplished that, I kept doing my job putting out designs for them during the day and doing my own work at night since I needed their resources to run my experiments. Why do you think I was so exhausted by time I made it into your graces hm?"

  
“You were still most fortunate, it was my graces you ended up in and don't you forget that. You were bound to mess up monumentally sooner or later working yourself into the ground under such conditions. None of it would have ended well for you and you knew that otherwise you would not have cooperated in any way whatsoever.” Krennic really had no idea that she had been in such a state when he met her, the minimal things he had let her look into amongst his work and her security clearance test scores had been the only insight into her brilliance. Pity he surmised like so many brilliant people she could be very narrow minded and not think clearly about all the consequences of her actions or maybe that was just that she was so young concurrently. Erso was a prime example of the former paradox. Was.

  
“For numerous reasons that was fortunate.” She looked over her shoulder making a couple of minor adjustments to the controls. 

  
“I didn't just cooperate with you because it was purely in my own best interests, but doing so did give me the opportunity to read the Interdictors full technical manual holotext you had in your office once you renounced it being off limits.” Maybe leaving her on her own so much with his entire restricted library was not such a good idea, he had not even considered at the time when he left her to such devices she would actually be able to read and understand so much of it. 

  
“What, you read all of it? The whole technical manual?” Kitah shrugged with a nod. 

  
“More or less. I did gloss over the irrelevant cross over similarities with the Imperial class star destroyer but since it was built by Sienar yes I kind of had to read all of it. Amazing piece of technology, expensive though. But I put all that on hold until I had to leave the station. I mean other than calculations and schematics. I had a good idea of what I needed to do by time I set up on Thaere. That day you came to Thaere, that was one of my first systems I built using all the new information I had. I had figured out by then it needed a containment field to help resolve the particle theory so I had worked that into a shield generator. Unfortunately at the time it was prone to collapsing in on itself if the particles were out of balance one way or the other which you embarrassingly saw the result of when it was crushed under its own gravity. However, perhaps you're just a lucky charm, some parts of the ship did move out of phase. Took hours though… they did eventually reappear.” 

“So I knew I was on the right track. I totally reworked the entire system so rather than have the danger of a system like that on board if I could use enriched gravitational particles in a positive and negative charge when activated if contained in a field you would get the same result, limited use of course. Unfortunately the system I used to create these particles was not long for this universe.” She sighed thinking about it again when she absently rubbed the light scar above her eyebrow. 

  
“When you came to Scarif that cut on your head wasn't from being 'clumsy' was it? Neither were the rest of the little cuts and scrapes on you.” Kitah shook her head, feeling a little bad for telling him another little white lie at the time. But he didn't really need to know her head had almost been taken off by a flying plate of durasteel. 

  
".... The entire machine I used to complete the particle enrichment blew itself apart right in front of my face after I made just enough particles for the prototype. Maybe I'll be able to reverse engineer it. Clear note taking has never been my strong suit. I think it all happened by accident when I got it working in the end." Krennic rubbed his finger against his chin. 

  
“So let me see if I understand you Kitah. You gave me a device that could have potentially ripped me apart or crushed me like that ship?" He raised an eyebrow of concern, right up until it had actually worked she had no idea it actually would have. He really had no idea what other things she had been successful with other than his blaster modification. There was no real evidence of her work elsewhere. Why would there be? Kitah had always said many of her designs were taken from her with no credit given. It was only when she had come up with the credits to get rid of her massive debt and purchase her base at Thaere from selling her designs that he started to twig onto her being as brilliant in reality as she was on flimsiplast. 

  
"Well I did tell you a matter of imminent death... You know... Just in case that did happen. Believe me I would have felt awful if that happened. That's why I put a monitoring system in it so I'd know if it was set off..."

  
"And you... Planted a tracker on me? So much for being able to trust you. I knew I should have checked it more closely. Do you have any idea what would have happened if someone had found it and looked in to it close enough to see that I was being tracked by an outside source? Could have gotten us both killed for treason Kitah!" Clearly she had not considered that and that came right back to her one track mind when it came to working. Which is why around her there was always chaos whenever she worked. Unlike him she struggled to focus on more than one thing at a time, multi-task yes. Focus? Not so much. Probably why he never had any issue with catching her off guard so many times. 

  
"Are you really that upset about that? Because really one of us in this cockpit is the opposite of killed because of that little device.” 

  
"Well I would be... If your crazy scheme didn't just save my life... Somehow. How on Coruscant did you even get such a device into something the size of an energy canister for a blaster?"

  
"Well that part was hard. I mean.. obviously creating a particle field big enough to use on something the size of a person did not require much in the way of power after all I had originally conceived it for ships lightcruiser size and above. I was able to make a very limited amount of the particles required for phasing an object in and out of the hyperspace dimension, connect an efficient power source purely for the containment shield. Tweak it all into that little canister there. Maybe I should be looking at personal protection devices..." She said more to herself as her mind started to wander. Although he brought her wandering mind back before it got too far.

  
"I am still grappling with the concept that you gave me something that could have crushed me or stranded me in hyperspace and were tracking me on top of that. A completely untested prototype that you had not seen work in any way whatsoever." 

  
"If it makes you feel any better those are just the things I was definitely sure could happen... It was not designed for a living thing with no ship around it to use... So... Um... Sorry?"

  
"You are insane girl. Certifiably insane, here I thought it was that damn red head that needed hauling in for a mental health assessment while your insanity flew right under the radar. I just dismissed you as eccentric. Well guess perhaps you will indeed have to find a way to recreate the results." She shrugged and let out a sigh at his less than desirable comparison, but from his point of view it most certainly was insane to expect him to trust his life to some unknown piece of technology with potentially catastrophic results attached to it. 

  
"It doesn't matter any more. At least I got to know it worked. Kept you here." Did she truly believe it didn't matter any more? When she had said it out loud realising what it had accomplished she guessed it didn't. "I actually never thought such a thing would actually happen, just a silly bad feeling. I had always told myself I gave it to you because I wanted you to lend your expertise and opinion to it. I could just never bring myself to try and call in a favour from you like that."

  
"Well it did perform its intended function, as you can tell I am not crushed or blown apart. Your unassuming little device stood up to the most powerful laser in the known galaxy, withstood the impact from the destruction of the citadel and the resulting blast wave that followed. I can assure you Kitah this is indeed no small feat of engineering.” After he described roughly what had happened, she guessed the potential for time dilation of an object in the particle field wasn’t such a bad thing. When it took hours for parts of her test shuttle to return she suspected it was a side effect of the gravitational anomaly created. Clearly important as it had allowed the aftermath of this blast to settle before returning him out of phase. Though she was confused by what he had described. 

  
“So this laser you speak of it can create the blasts that caused the devastation I saw?"

  
"That and more. The super laser is the main weapon of the Death Star. The true purpose of the battle station. You would have heard on the holonet how the holy city on Jedha was destroyed by a mining accident? It was no accident. It was a test of the same weapon. The same kind of blast that Scarif was subjected to. Those blasts are just an inkling of what it's capable of. It was built to destroy entire planets, leave no trace of them bigger than a hefty asteroid. It was to be the weapon that would bring peace to the galaxy. Pacification through fear. Not really something to be used lightly." 

  
He could see no reason to keep it from her any more, there was no way that either of them could tell anyone about its existence now. He told her at the risk of her being completely disgusted with him however, that he could be such a monster to be behind such a project he could envisage her telling him to go to hell. The battle station nor its primary weapon would not remain a secret for much longer anyway now Tarkin was in control of it. Ironic that threats to its secrecy was one of Tarkin's excuses to usurp him.

  
Kitah had always known that there was something more to the battle station than he let on, it had always caused him too much stress over the last two years for there not to be. Especially when the Grand Admiral started questioning her about what she knew of its purpose, something was going on behind the scenes and only a select few on the station knew about it. A super weapon capable of the kind of damage she saw on Scarif or worse would certainly fill that criteria. 

  
"You really couldn't tell me about it before? You didn't trust me to not say anything to anyone?" He shook his head, still waiting for her to snap at him. 

  
"Plausible deniability. If you didn't know about it you couldn't be questioned about what you knew should anyone have decided to haul you up for interrogation. Imagine if you knew about it when someone like Thrawn was picking into your brain? You may not have meant to say anything but you could have said the wrong thing very easily. Wouldn't have taken much at all." She felt a bit better and now understood why he never said anything to her. If anything it had only begun to make her furious at what had happened to him. His dedication to the Empire was unquestionable as far as she had ever seen. 

  
Yes he bent rules and even ignored some of them if convenient, but never anything that would detriment his career or the cause. She felt no need to think any less of him for the large part he clearly played in the station's orchestration. Kitah knew he would have really believed in the viability of it or he would not have given so much of his life to it. He inhaled and gave his head a half shake when she didn't have at him for being some sort of monster. He didn't regret his next admission. 

  
"To tell you the truth Kitah, I can't think of a single person in the galaxy I trust more than you at this point. You saved my life whether you meant to or not, in more ways than one and I can't overlook that.” She kissed him and stroked his cheek again, if she had known it wasn't just a silly bad feeling. The female intuition she had dismissed it as, she certainly would not have chosen to let him die. She hoped he didn't think that. 

  
"You won't. But I think you should go get some rest on one of the bunks back there, at least give the bacta solution and patches a chance to work. I'll keep an eye on things here.” He let out a deep frustrated sigh and brushed his free hand back over his face and through his hair before standing up, he didn't really feel like resting but she was right about his injuries at least. Kitah couldn't help but look at him and feel again how sad she felt for him, he had never looked even close to this. He looked almost broken. Who wouldn't, he had lost his life's work and the Empire who he had loyally served turned its back on him. He opened his eyes again and caught her face wearing that look. He glared at her sternly. 

  
"Don't you start looking at me like that. Just don't. I don't need anyone's sympathies. Especially yours."

  
"I'm sorry Orson, I wasn't really doing it on purpose I was just thinking." While she might not have been actually thinking that she felt sorry for him he didn't appreciate the sympathetic look he caught her giving him. He stood up with a grunt of both pain and annoyance. Giving her a curt nod rather than any other interaction. She sighed as she went back to the controls. _Difficult as ever._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 🎵 [''I Know Your Secrets'' by Tommee Profitt [feat. Liv Ash]](https://youtu.be/3DhbbVgpyjo)
> 
> Oh I am sure at least some of you saw something like this coming. Yes. Sciency Wiency Timey Wimey Stuff. Accept it I tried to make it sound as plausible as possible. Because honestly we all know Orson Krennic deserved better. And you can't have a "Villain gets the girl" story if the villain isn't around to get her now can you?
> 
> So of course there were artistic liberties in big ways taken in this chapter, especially as to how much equipment would have survived in the rubble etc. & of course, from here on matey's we be off the edge of the map. All part of that "10%" of non *proven* canon material.


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well I think this chapter probably exceeds my allowable amount of fluff. But there's also a bit of angst and of course smut (So sorry it is also the last of it in the story, I mean I'll understand if you want to leave now.)

* * *

  
For the first time ever Kitah realised just how safe she could feel landing her ship back on her own base. Once it settled down on the tarmac she let out a relieved sigh. No matter what Krennic had done messing around with the console and his supposed deactivation of the FFT, she worried even more about running into an Imperial patrol on the way back than she had even entertained on the way to Scarif. Biting her bottom lip slightly, she glanced out the cockpit viewports to see a very unhappy looking Adarn. Arms folded and awaiting an explanation of her absence most likely. She rolled her eyes a little, shut down the systems and went back to the passenger bay. She almost didn't want to disturb him but it was necessary. She brushed some unruly strands of his hair off his forehead and gave his uninjured shoulder a gentle shake. 

  
“Orson? We're back on Thaere. No trouble was had. Didn't even see a single Imperial ship. Guess they all had somewhere else to be. Chasing the rebel fleet no doubt. Has the bacta helped at all?”

  
He groaned when he became aware of her talking to him. Waking up reluctantly. He already knew how long it took to get from Scarif to Thaere and while they had talked for some time he still could not believe he had slept for that whole duration. The reality of the past twenty four hours events sinking in. He had started to lose track of the time. The attack on Scarif had been early in the day? The day before? It had to be. But travelling towards the core, to Thaere where it was early evening there now. It came back to him about Kitah telling him it had been three in the morning there when he commed her.

  
“Yes I believe it has worked somewhat. The injury feels significantly better than what it did when you picked me up that much is correct. I feel I can get away without this for now.” He sat up and took the sling off. Against her better judgement knowing what such an injury felt like. But of course Krennic wasn't going to have any of that.

_  
_ "Now you will of course excuse me while I put up with a lecture from my annoying but as you know, well meaning employee." She could only imagine the slew of things Adarn was going to have to say to her. She let down the ramp barely getting one foot on the tarmac when he started. 

  
"Oh that was a nice sight ta come in ta work with tha only workin shuttle we have missin. Ma boss missin as well... Ya didn't leave a note? A recordin? Please tell me tha blinking light on ya console up there is a malfunction and ya didn't use our only working prototype of the shield genny thing?” 

  
Kitah had stopped trying to read him into the technicalities of her device a while ago and ever since she tried to explain it 'shield genny thing' was the term used to refer to it ever since. She had told Adarn that she had given it to Krennic to assess since it was his field of expertise. Not entirely wrong. The rest of his rant consisted of mostly valid points. 

  
She heard Krennic come down the ramp behind her. Having to admire how he still managed to convey his authority without his cape and looking a little worse for wear. Of course she had always thought the cape actually took away from him somewhat but never said so, maybe she only thought it because she liked looking at him and the darn thing often interfered with that. Adarn looked up at him. 

  
“Hey ya mister Krennic sir. Nice ta see ya again." The last part was a little less sincere usually because of the state his boss was always left in whenever she saw him. 

  
"Adarn while I appreciate the concerns as always. I left in a hurry. I did not have time for such things. Yeah I guess I could have left a note but I was half asleep when I left. It is my ship. I'll fly it where I want, when I want and it was my prototype to use as I saw fit. It wasn't proven working until it worked. Besides I don't even know how to replicate it again. Now I know it worked. That's all that matters, it saved my friends life and that's all that matters most." Adarn glanced over her shoulder at Krennic again realising how different he looked. 

  
"Yeah I thought ya looked a bit worse for wear there mister Krennic." Krennic was most certainly not in the mood but indulged Kitah's employee with a simple nod. Kitah walked away from the shuttle towards Adarn and out of Krennic's immediate ear shot for the sake of politeness. 

  
“I am obviously going home now Adarn. Do you think you can finish up with things here?” Adarn scowled a little, it wasn't a very often seen look from the uncharacteristically tolerant and kind man. 

  
“So wha happened to him then eh? And yer friend? We both know that man ain't just ya friend and ya better do somethin about sortin that out. Ya say tha prototype saved his life yeh? Well where would ya be if it hadn't?” Kitah sighed knowing she would be somewhere she couldn't bear thinking about, that's where she would be.    


"Adarn while I do appreciate your concern. I might be young not stupid remember. I'll handle it." Adarn crossed his arms at that retort, he was frequently dismissed by others as being a bit stupid due to his edge of wild space accent but he knew stupid when he saw it and he thought those two were pretty darn stupid.

  
“Uh huh. Sure ya will. But go on I'll be fine. I'll close'r all up. Ya go do what ya got ta do.” He turned on his heel heading back to the hangar muttering under his breath in exasperation.

  
“At least someone worries about you.” Krennic said with a slight roll of his eyes when she walked back over to him. Kitah shook her head, wondering whether the look was for him thinking she didn’t need worrying about or if someone else should have been doing the worrying. 

  
“Yeah I know but he worries too much I don't need a babysitter.” 

  
When they returned to her house she turned the lights up. The place was still as tidy as he had seen it last for the most part. Though her dining table was now covered in notes and scrawls and texts. Now that was much more typical of her Krennic thought. If Kitah had honestly thought that he would have been there the very next day when she left her house last she would not have left it like this. She scraped it all together clearing the table of the chaos and dumping the lot of it unceremoniously on her desk in her office. The office was utter working chaos just like her small office had been on the station, but at least she made the effort to keep the chaos confined to that one room. Krennic quietly observed her actions and the state of her home. 

  
“Why do I feel you spend even less time here now than what you did before my previous visit?”

  
“Yeah, well... after your previous visit it did just kind of bring it fully to my attention how much I hate being alone here. Sure the bed is more comfortable than my office chair. Comfortable but lonely, guess I just preferred to be stiff in the mornings and actually have gotten a few hours sleep. But I won't have to worry for the moment. You are here and I do not have to worry about you being alright like I have done for weeks.”

  
"No you don't. But what I need to worry about is what will happen if the Empire somehow figures out I am not dead. I can't hide out here for ever I'll go fucking mad." Thaere was fortunately quiet enough that it was unlikely that the Empire would just randomly show up there looking for the very dead Director Krennic. Also no one was left alive who could even let anyone know he was not as dead as they believed nor that his lover for the last two years lived on Thaere and it might be worth checking out. It would have to be a total and very remote co-incidence.

  
"You won't have to be stuck here forever Orson, only until we think of what to do in the long term." 

_  
Ah yes..._ Now he thought about it he wanted to get a crystal clear understanding of some things from her after all this time since quite a few truths were coming out now. He didn't think the shuttle was the right time or place to broach the subjects.

  
"We? Long term? Speaking of; now that I've gained a little clarity from this little near death experience, you can finally do some explaining you owe to me that you have fully avoided for two years..." He stepped closer to her glaring down firmly with that icy look he always wore when deadly serious. His steps into her space caused her to back up to her table, she already did not like where his insinuations were going. They could only lead somewhere she didn't want them to. He didn't care, wasn't having her get out of this any longer. 

  
"You're what.... Twenty two 'or so' now? I'm now over fifty and more than twice your age... Why the hell are you still bothering to think of anything 'long term' with me? You've always been unusually good to me and I now want to know why. You should have been dust in the wind the moment you paid your debt but you haven't, you've continued to be there for me time and time again. I don't see you for almost two months then I comm you out of nowhere and say come to Scarif and you drop everything and do it. So why? I've asked you more than once before and I want a straight answer because I didn't believe the ones you gave me then but I didn't really care then either so I let it go. Now I care so stop this trying to lie to me."

  
Kitah leaned back against her table arms folded with annoyance. She didn't want to tell him. She had never wanted to. Thought about it many times but could never answer truthfully, but he was right she owed him as much. Some small speck of her equally wished he had gotten rid of her like he threatened so many times then she wouldn't have to tell him at all. But she would try just one last time to avoid telling him.

  
"Well you know how you told me that time you didn't have long term relationships and the ones you did have didn't last because you wouldn't make time to be a family man... I mean in addition to being insufferable as you put it... I said I was the same. Just too focused on my work to worry about family or being with someone who wanted one..?"

  
"I know what you told me, I even believed you for the most part but I always knew you were keeping something from me." She pushed her glasses back up her nose. Of course he knew she was. Heck even that Grand Admiral Thrawn picked up she was not entirely truthful about any kind of motive she had for being involved with or caring about Krennic so much and that was only after a few minutes of conversation.

  
"Yes. I was but only for the same reason you told me to stop looking at you with a sympathetic look on the shuttle. I didn't want you or anyone else feeling sorry for me. I've had enough of that to last a lifetime even at my age. I am quite happy being out here with my work, being independent. That's really all that matters." He glared at her usual tactics of giving him a truthful answer but omitting something vital. Just like she had done when he asked her why she left Kuat Drive Yards and she left out the part about Hu'yohr being her superior and what that entailed.

  
"Kitah you stop stalling and answer me properly or I'll make you." He growled at her. She gritted her teeth, she was sure he would. What precious little was left of his patience getting thin, she heard that lisp from him she had not heard in a long time in her direction specifically. Staring off onto some spot on the floor avoiding his icy gaze. She inhaled before letting it out in rapid breath.

  
"I can't have children alright! Can't. Won't. No families for me. Not going to happen, I am just fucking barren. Fuck. This bad eyesight?” She tugged her glasses off her nose and shook them at him angrily. 

  
“Well that's just another lovely souvenir from the same source as my infertility... both were caused by some stupid fucking idiot venting radioactive particles from a damaged Corvette hyperdrive while I was in the pit working on the adjacent system as a teenager. Because hey let's get the small teenage girl to climb in there and fix it, she knows what she's doing. Someone had closed the access gate and they couldn't get it open in time. So they just left me shut in there to save their own skins!” Oh she was furious, Kitah had avoided venting about it every time someone had pestered her about why she was the way she was. 

  
“You know that one stupid teenage relationship? Yeah I said he left me? Well he left me alright! Left me in there too because the superior told him to. When they did get the damn hatch open I was almost dead. I was sick for months in and out of coma even after being stuck in a bacta tank for who knows how long, I absolutely loathe the smell of the stuff. The medic on the station did tell me I should have gone in one for that bitches damn attack and I tell you Orson I would much rather be in pain for the rest of my life from that injury than ever go in one of those damn things again! When I finally get up an about I learn my eyesight was permanently damaged and the panel of tests they ran while I was out of it to see what had been damaged showed the radiation despite the treatments had destroyed my ability to have children and who knows what else one day, they didn't even know if my hair would grow back.” She grabbed the end of her hair and yanked on it a moment.

  
“Pfft. Small victories right?! By time I was let out of the medical facility that bastard was gone. Probably left when he found out the extent of my injuries. The only good thing to come of what happened was it finally got me medical leave off Corellia and I never looked back. Not a bad way to celebrate being sixteen when you think about it. So no Orson I did not want to fucking tell you because I didn't want your pity about it either!!" She snapped harshly at the end of her words nearly shouting at him.

  
She hated telling it and she hated telling it to him even worse, made her feel weak in front of him. She let out a frustrated huff glaring away to that spot on the floor. The absolute last thing she wanted was him to go treating her like she was fragile or in need of comfort over it like anyone else she had ever had to tell. But there. It was out now. He could make whatever he wanted of her truth. Krennic thought for a moment about everything she had said, wanting to make some small effort to pick his words carefully. He wasn't dealing with some officer or politician who needed to be told what they wanted to hear so he could get what he required to advance his career one way or another. But his abilities for reading people and saying the correct things had more than one use fortunately. 

  
"I had my suspicions about that you know. You spent almost two years with me and the only time you ever saw a doctor to my knowledge was when you were attacked. Every now and then it did cross my mind as to why you never mentioned or never concerned yourself with falling pregnant. I wasn’t about to go out of my way to bring it up when you hadn’t. I do know that I most certainly would not have pitied you Kitah. You should know me well enough by now to know I do not dole out great amounts of pity not even for you. I would have just understood you better. I might also have been less inclined to keep the emotional distance from you that I did." Some of his words gave her a sudden dull ache in her chest. While she didn't hear pity, she did hear annoyance in his voice. Annoyance at her lack of truthfulness in regards to something so important. 

  
"I know I should have told you. I trusted you enough to tell you. It feels so stupid now. I thought about giving in and telling you every time you asked or dropped a deliberate hint about it and every time I just avoided it..." She put her head down in her hands mumbling against them "I should have just told you that I loved you back then as well." He leaned forward and pulled her hands away from her face by her wrists. 

  
"Now what was that last part and don't tell me it was nothing." He knew exactly what she said. She inhaled with frustration and let it out clearer. 

  
"I said, I should have told you that I loved you back then as well." 

  
"Yes you should have told me. Both of those things! I already knew you loved me. You damn well said it when I was here last. Talking in your fucking sleep again Kitah!” She knew now that he was angry she hadn’t let him in on it all sooner. She was angry and upset that she had to get the truth out there herself and that he knew what she had said and never brought it up, knowing him it would have been because he didn't want to complicate whatever their relationship was at the time. Might as well continue being honest, whatever he wanted to know he was now entitled to know.

  
"You! You were just supposed to just be my keeper, just a warden for fucks sake. Just a simple little arrangement. Do you know why I can't sleep when I'm alone? Why am I always tired? Because that whole damn day just plays itself over and over again, the same damn nightmare the second I close my eyes... So yeah just in case you ever wondered if your punishment was ever too lenient it worked every time you left me alone there. Oh yeah it worked really well alright! I wasn't meant to ever have to tell you any of these things!" She was trying not to be hysterical. Just angry and frustrated. Like he was. He grabbed her by the arm and pulled her to him. Then crushed her against his chest with a firm embrace. He held her there contrary to the pain in his shoulder. 

  
"But was that all I was to you though? Really? You more than willingly let yourself be in the arrangement you were in. You could have gotten away with the bare minimum of cooperation and I would have considered it fair. If you couldn't stand it at any time you could have fought with me so much that I would have dumped you in prison as soon as look at you but you didn't do that either." Kitah let Krennic hold her against him, her fingers curled into a grip on his dirty white tunic. 

  
"Dammit Orson I was... I was so tired. So very tired. You made all that go away without even meaning to, how you made me feel that first night I was there. You didn't have to be like that then or any nights after either! But every single time you made me feel like not a damn thing beyond me mattered to you in those moments. Then... Then I don't know I stupidly went and fucking fell in love with you. Because I believed I really saw you for who you were... Between that armour of cruelty and ambition you were so good to me when you didn't have to be. It wasnt lust all the time, you would be passionate and loving even though you'd never fucking say it to me!"

  
She was right. He'd broken her down so many times just to build her back up again. He inhaled the scent of her hair. Closing his eyes. Thinking back to that first memory of being truly close to her. Laying out his terms for her punishment. Persuading her to stay willingly, breathing his words against her. The way she felt pressed against him and every other touch he made to her that night and she fucking let him do it, enjoyed it, enjoyed him. He had wanted to keep her no matter how fucking selfish it was holding what he had over her and he spent the next two fucking years keeping her suspended there... Trying to find the willingness to get rid of her for her own damn sake. Or so he thought. But also doing nothing at all to encourage her to get out of his life when she didn't leave on her own.

  
"Stupidly fell in love? You don't truly believe that. I know you don't. What was stupid was you not telling me you couldn't have children, that you had no prospects of ever having that kind of a family and you had let go of the notion, preferring your work instead. You knew I didn't want that either, you knew I had no interest in it. I spelled it out more than once. You stupid girl. It would have been so much easier to even let myself... Love you... If it wasn't always in the back of my fucking mind that you'd want to reject and leave me at some point! I nearly fucking shot you because I thought that's what you were doing to me or have you forgotten that?! You don't think back then would have been the ideal time to fucking mention all this to me?!"

  
He couldn't help but nearly shout at her, he was so mad that he had come so close to death and didn't know what he even had. She held against his tunic tighter her head buried and hidden behind her hair. She had not forgotten and he was right. But still she did always fear if she told him the truth that he may have changed his mind about not wanting a family if the option was actually taken away from him completely.

  
"I... I... I'm so sorry Orson. I trusted you... I did. I came so close to telling you so many times. I just had this stupid fear that if I told you the truth you might have changed your mind about your own decisions. For that insecurity I could have wasted two years by not saying anything! What if you had been killed today?! I wouldn't have lived it down!" 

  
He wanted her. He'd always want her. He swiftly moved his hand down to the curve of her arse picking her up off the floor regardless of how much it hurt his shoulder. Shoving her back onto the table and dropping her on it. He stood between her legs, his palms on the table either side of her; he leaned forward eye level with her before he spoke again.

  
"Are you going to stop me?" 

  
"Never."

  
His hands moved swiftly and tore open her shirt. She shrugged it off her shoulders and tossed it. He undid the snaps on her bra swiping it off her. She hissed softly as the straps bit her skin though his hand on her breast squeezing tightly, hungrily turned her noise into a whine. Her fingers went to his half closed tunic pulling it open. She also thought probably for the last time. He reluctantly took his hands off her naked chest to get it off. Throwing it to the floor. A fitting clunk of it on the ground with his belt and rank badge. He grabbed her wrists for a moment lest she actually tear the buttons off the only shirt he even had for now. Like always she read into his actions getting his meaning. Kitah slowed for a moment undoing them carefully until he could get it off. It joined the rest of the clothing on the floor. She looked concerned for a moment at that blaster wound. 

  
"Forget it." Krennic held the back of her neck pulling her close for a crushingly deep kiss thrusting his tongue into her mouth. She moaned into his kiss her own tongue entwined with his. Her hands dove for his hair like she needed to keep him there, not that he was letting her go. He didn't care about any of the pain right now. He grabbed her half tied down overalls pulling them from her, inwardly rolling his eyes.  _ Why the hell did she have to wear that, today of all days. _

  
Kitah shook the garment off her legs. She let out a yelp into his kiss when he half pulled down and half tore her panties off her, they cut equally into her skin as her bra had done. Of course she quickly forgot about that little sting when he pulled away from their kiss, he licked his fingertips before dipping them into her folds and rolling over her aching clit. "Ah!" She cried out arching her head back putting her arms back onto the table to support herself. Krennic leaned over her kissing and biting over her throat.   
  


"Oh how I always enjoy those sounds of yours. Letting me know how much you love what I do to you..." He kept tormenting her, sliding his fingers at an agonisingly slow speed from her clit to her core. Smirking thoroughly at her wetness already, one would swear she almost enjoyed fighting with him as he brought his fingers slick with her arousal back to her clit. She inhaled back through her teeth. 

  
"... Smug as ever aren't you Orson."

  
"Smug? Really? You think that of me? Oh I think I am entitled. On account of nearly dying." She half nodded, he knew he was a smug bastard. Course he'd never make the admission, this was as close as he had ever gotten and look what it took for him to do so. 

  
"You know you are smug Orson." Krennic was bemused by her accusation, he thrust three fingers deep into her with little warning. Kitah cried out loudly for him at the sudden but pleasurable intrusion.

  
"Tell me Kitah what are you?" Her supporting hands slid away from her making her drop back onto the table leaving her splayed out in front of him. 

  
"Y... yours..." His other hand pressed firmly over her stomach and ribs before grabbing a for handful of her breast 

  
"To do what?" She whined and mewled at his actions. She wanted him so much closer. Knowing he'd soon want her to beg for him and she would. 

  
"...Whatever you please..." He leaned over her. Biting and nipping over her other breast towards her nipple that he sucked on hungrily enjoying her reaction of more pathetic cries and whines. Her hands curling into fists beside her and banging down on the table. 

  
"Don't you forget it. Now tell me what you want...Try to be honest... For once." He taunted swiping his tongue around her nipple to punctuate. 

  
"I want you close to me... Please I just want to feel you... Deep inside me... Orson, truly right now I just want you to fuck me... Hard as I know you want to..." Maker had she ever begged him so well? Her voice so close to him, he couldn't help but groan with desire for her. Kitah went to sit up to free him of his trousers. He pushed her firmly back down by a handful of her breast. 

"Ah! You just stay there. Spread out and beautiful for me." Even with his uniform stripped away or not he was still so commanding. He nodded at her hands she had been using to lift herself. 

  
"Up. Keep them there until I say otherwise. You know how this works. How I want to see you." Oh she knew alright. Her arms went over her head laid back against the table. Her fingertips twisting restlessly in the ends of her hair. He loved her like that, so willing for him. Making her breasts beautiful and prominent. He leaned down biting and sucking over one glancing up at her with those deep plus eyes to catch a glimpse of her biting into her bottom lip whining about it. He barely noticed when he kissed his way down her body, his tongue joining the torment of his fingers wanting to briefly indulge in the sweetness of her arousal. She very nearly kicked him right against his injured shoulder. He swiftly grabbed her leg just before she managed to do so. 

  
"Still!" He growled. Kitah very nearly froze quivering at the breath of his command against her clit that he made worse for her by slowly pressing his tongue around it. 

  
"Fuck! Orson please... Please stop that...." Of course he didn't immediately, continuing long enough to defy her and drag her closer to orgasm when he did suddenly stop everything he was doing to her, taking his fingers away from her soft slick insides. Oh she nearly cried. Tossing her head back in frustration her eyes were closed when she felt his fingertips along her bottom lip, drenched in her own arousal. 

  
"Still you try to tell me what to do... So sweet. Like yourself when I do this to you.” Kitah licked her bottom lip, whereupon he wasted no opportunity to press his fingers into her mouth. She let him, like always. He smirked to himself with that wry self serving grin while she licked and sucked her own taste from the three fingers he had gently pressed into her mouth. 

  
"Good girl." He undid his trousers with his wounded side not caring how much it hurt. The pain at this moment was actually pale compared to how much his cock still ached for this, more specifically to be buried in her. He freed himself with a groan. Languorously stroking his hard length for a few moments. Not that he needed to. Krennic withdrew his fingers from her mouth holding her chin moving her face so he could meet her gaze. Kitah was naturally drawn to drink him in. He was so different yet the same. Rugged was never a term she had used to describe him but right now with his tousled hair, five o clock shadow and sweaty near dirty features it seemed appropriate. Unchanged as ever his sparkling blue eyes. He had to know how much she always admired him. He released her chin dragging her fully back to the edge of her table. He grunted at the feeling of her pussy pressing hard against him. He teased her momentarily with the head of his cock against her warm folds and tortured bud. 

  
"Please Orson!" She nearly shouted at him again. 

  
"Aww you poor desperate dear. What was it you wanted again?" Normally she didn't mind his particular dark brand of sarcasm. But honestly she did just want to feel him. After all that had happened and what they had aired, the dispersal of tension and lustful claims over her felt just like when he did get close to shooting her now he brought it up. He would never say it but he probably came so close to doing it because he may have started to love her just the smallest amount no matter how much he tried not to even then. 

  
"Orson... you're so damn cruel to me... Please, I do just want to feel you. Deep inside and close to me. I want to be fucked hard by you... Like I am only yours." She pleaded with him again. Oh how could he even hope to consider resisting that any longer. He taunted the tip of his cock at her entrance. Wrapping his uninjured hand around her thigh pulling her hard along the table against him while he sheathed his cock fully into her. Kitah arched her whole frame off the table letting out a loud cry reminiscent of their first night together. Krennic reached over her dragging her arms down closer so he could hold her wrists down against the timber. Pulling back just a couple of inches before thrusting back fully into her again. Eliciting the same sounds from her. He leaned down and kissed over her breasts. 

  
"Mnn Kitah... Did I ever tell you that you beg for me the best out of anyone else I have ever had?" She shook her head unable to form words once she had him thrusting his cock into her needy folds. So much so she couldn't care less about him comparing her to anyone else this time. He couldn't care either, holding her down there pulling almost out of her between his equally needy thrusts. She was so wet for him, ploughing into her sensitive insides was blissfully undemanding. 

  
She curled her leg around his un-wounded side encouraging his deep thrusts. The feel of each one tormenting her core making her chew on her lip. She felt him move his hand to her chin pulling at her chin stopping her from doing so. His hand back to her hip dragging her hard against him. That made her cry out uninhibited for him. He admired the sight of his cock being consumed by her folds repeatedly. He'd never tire of that sight he was certain. Kitah started to whine and fidget. He tormented her more at her rising climax rubbing the pad of thumb over her clit. 

  
"... Stars...must...you Orson!" She complained desperately whacking her fists down on the table again. He didn't give her any retort, just taking in the way she felt around him deep shudders around his cock. He could feel how close she was when he wickedly pulled out of her. She let out the most pathetic frustrated sound he had ever heard out of her. He pulled her off the table swiftly rearranging her and bending her over onto it. He kicked her legs gently apart further with a tap of his boot against her ankles. 

  
"Better." With that observation he thrust his length back into her, holding her firmly against him. His action almost killed the function of her knees. By now she was crying from the feel of it all. He brought her back to where she was right up to her drawn out climax again he knew that just by her body quivers to the feel of her around his cock when his thrusts excited different parts of her core. He took his fingers to her clit, he too was close and desperately wanted to feel her cum around his cock while he was deep in her. 

  
"You cum for me like the good girl you are..." The end of his sentence was nothing more than a lustful snarl. It's not like he actually had to tell her, she was only a few thrusts away from climax as it was before he added his fingers back to the mix. Kitah clawed at her table with her finger nails when she screamed for him against the wood. Krennic groaned her precious tight insides contracting hard around his cock. He leaned over her grabbing her shoulder pulling her back hard against him for the last couple of thrusts as her pussy milked his own climax out of him. He might have even groaned her name in his own ecstasy when he spilled himself into her. They stayed still and breathless for several slow moments. His hand moved from her neck and down her back pausing there as he pulled his softening cock from her. 

  
"Just... Stay ... There." He commanded her. She nodded with bare minimal effort still out of breath herself. He planted a kiss against the small of her back before stepping back from her a bit. His hands running up the insides of her thighs. He licked his bottom lip at the sight of her fucked raw folds and his cum seeping from her. Maker she was fucking beautiful and still totally his. He swept some evidence of that up onto his fingertips and presented them to her again. 

  
"You taste... who you belong to Kitah... In every sense of the word..." She did, the flavour of the result of their ardent affirmations more than familiar. 

  
"Yes.. Orson." She mewled when he took his hand away. Oh he ached. Such pain he had not felt in his living memory. But he didn't care. He looked her wrecked state over again. Stupid girl. Why the fuck didn't she just tell him the truth about her. For two years he could have enjoyed her so much more. Especially the sight now lain out in front of him. He made one last exertion and pulled her back up against him. Holding her there his arm across her holding firmly over her throat. His slightly weaker wounded one around her middle. He pressed against her throat tight enough to make her value her breath as he inhaled against the crook of her neck before letting it out. 

  
"You ever lie to me like that again... You ever keep something so important from me like that again; I will kill you. Just like this do you understand me?" Krennic pressed firmer on her neck to make his point. He would never give anyone the opportunity to call her theirs as long as he drew breath. She leaned her head back into him to ease the grip on her neck with that she inhaled deeply. She should have been in fear of his threat; not a threat, a promise. But she had run out of reasons to keep such things from him, leaving her no more concerned now than she had been the last time he made this same kind of threat. 

  
"...Never again. I promise Orson." He kissed her neck lovingly, the first time she had ever really felt him do that. 

  
"Good girl. My good girl. Now, I am going to regain some of my humanity as you so put it in that horrid shower of yours." She couldn't help but laugh at his continued dislike of it. 

  
“Oh Orson...” He could hear her coy tone return with the tension now gone from the room.

  
“What?” She looked down at his once polished boot by her ankle. 

  
“You better not let me catch you wearing those filthy boots in this house again hm?” He had to laugh at the obvious double meaning to her statement. He still smacked her arse for trying to give him a command. She shivered a little as he walked away. Dragging his fingertips over her and leaving her in her current state of disarray.  
  


* * *

  
Krennic was sitting on her couch clearly deep in thought. Kitah had redressed his wounds now he was clean before she went to shower herself. Krennic was never one for flinching since she could never sneak up on him but this time he actually managed to be so deep on thought he didn't hear her until he felt her lean over the couch and kiss his neck. Her dead straight strands of hair falling into him. 

  
"Stupid question I am sure Orson but are you actually feeling any better?" He stared down at the glass of Kitah's expensive fortified wine that she kept. 

  
"Physically, somewhat. Perhaps certain ill thought out exertions did not help the situation at hand. Some things just get worse the more I think about them. Others not so much." He leaned his head into her at that. She knew what he meant about both of those things. She reached around into his field of view with an open pack of ciggaras 

  
"I know I can't yet begin to fully understand, I will do my best to try. But... If it helps you left these here last time. I found them on the floor beside my bed along with the igniter. Not that I should encourage you, but in this case I guess I don't mind." He took them from her with a muted scoff of amusement.

  
"Wouldn't care if you did. You know that.” She dropped the tray on the table near him. He was quiet for a moment putting his glass down before lighting up. She was pleased to see it's effect in relaxing him. She just desperately wished he would quit it. She went and got a glass of wine for herself before sitting again leaving the bottle nearby.

  
"... You did always know how to look after me. Much more than I ever deserved."

  
"Don't do that to yourself Orson, I won't help you wallow in this self pity... You know I wouldn't have done anything for you I didn't want to." While her day had not been anywhere near as physically or mentally taxing as his own. It had been an emotional war zone and she could use it to soothe her own frayed nerves. He exhaled a breath of smoke away from her. 

  
"... You and I Kitah, for as intelligent as we both like to think we are have been very stupid not being completely honest with one another. I would have even married you when I had the chance... had you not kept it to yourself that you would never have expected me to turn into something I've never wanted to be and that's a family man and leave me because I refused to become one. I suppose you might have told me the truth if I'd given you any indication how I felt other than some self serving need to keep you around me." 

  
He shrugged, wincing at the action before inhaling again. Why not, was it that ridiculous of a notion? She had always understood that his career came before anything else; none of the others ever got that or anything else about him for that matter. 

  
"... Not much point to marrying a dead man I suppose." He dismissed it as quickly as he had brought it up. Kitah kissed his shoulder, while an interesting concept she was too content that he wasn't dead to care about what they missed out on because of stubbornness or stupidity.

  
"You're only dead to them. But don't dwell on it. It doesn't matter anymore."

  
He inhaled before breathing away from her. It was all well and fair for her to say it didn't matter. It did actually, even if it was a prideful thing. Fucking Galen Erso, even he had the opportunity to be married to Lyra; damn pest of a woman. The irony of it was that if Galen had never met Lyra then none of this would have happened, the men would have stayed better friends since Brentaal and it would have been so much easier to get him to build the weapon. Pity she didn't even have some accident all those years ago in the process of being rescued from Vaullt, Galen would have done the work to protect his child rather than be constantly manipulated into the work for years.

  
"I guess it doesn't. You know what makes me the most mad about what Tarkin did now? Not only did that smug old bastard take my command; it means everything else in my life has been taken from me. The Empire will end up with it all. My savings, my apartment on Coruscant, a few other properties here and there and all those texts and other works, copies of everything I have ever designed all of which it has taken me a lifetime to accumulate. Guess it will take them some time to go through considering all the personnel Tarkin murdered... but they'll get to it eventually. Then it just gets absorbed by the Empire. Part of the great fucking machine. Could have really used all of that during my let's call it... forced redundancy." 

  
Kitah didn't want to help him be morose, but stayed quiet watching him light up another ciggara off the first. She drank her wine quietly and listened to him vent. Which he did until it was late. Vented about every little thing that had gone on over the last two years that he dutifully didn't tell her that had driven him to rage, starting telling her all the things she was never cleared to know. But he was well within his rights. He always said he would never tell her about all this as long as he breathed. Technically now, he was dead. Tarkin had indeed murdered a whole base full of imperial personnel just to make himself look good by defending the data, getting rid of the rebels and his long time rival which was a bonus of course. The collateral damage hardly seemed worth it. She dreaded what could happen with a weapon like that at his disposal.  
  


* * *

  
“Orson maybe you should give it a rest for now hm? I am sure you will have much more energy to continue to vent over all these things tomorrow...” She leaned over looking down at him with slight disapproval in her brown eyes. Despite them going to bed he somehow still had the energy to rant about all the things he had kept to himself for years, mostly because he was never in a position to ever let it out.

  
Krennic had never been jealous of Galen; quite the opposite, Lyra had only served to prove his point of how distracting some women could be when it came to one's work. Lyra who actually straight up died trying to 'save' Galen from working for the Empire. He suspected Kitah would have given Lyra a run for her credits when it came to devotion, while never wanting to be a distraction from his work. He might have only known Kitah for a very short part of his life but that didn't matter. She stayed when she was free to go, had shown him that none of that even really mattered to her. It was never about just playing house until her debt was paid. But he did decide to give his ranting a rest, not at her suggestion of course.

  
"You can stop worrying about me Kitah.” He said of her continued concern and looked up at her brushing some of her hair back behind her ear. She probably just couldn't put it out of her head as to what almost happened to him. She kissed him and settled back down beside him, her hand resting on his chest more acutely aware of his breathing than she could actually ever remember being for at least a few moments before she pulled the sheets up around them. 

  
“I'll worry about you as much as I like Orson.” Too tired to argue with her, he considered in no way could he have thought that absolute worst day of his life would have ended with him not only alive but on Thaere in her bed with her smooth naked skin against him.

  
It was just before dawn and still dark when Kitah sat up with a start but from no nightmare this time. "Oh maker... That's it..." She chewed her lip and thought about trying to go back to sleep rather than wake him but she couldn't keep her eureka moment in. She shook his shoulder gently. Without opening his eyes he queried. 

  
"Kitah what are you even doing awake? You have never been this alert during the early hours." Exhausted as he was he was never so deep asleep that he could not be easily roused. Too many years in the military it seemed. Though he wasn’t about to sit bolt upright at her actions just yet.

  
"Orson Callan Krennic you are a genius!" He opened his eyes ever so slightly now curious as to whatever it was on her mind that involved him somehow. 

  
"I know this my dear. But why are you waking me up to tell me?" Typical he still managed to muster some way to be sarcastic even when half asleep.

  
"You said it yourself... About there not being much point to marrying a dead man... But what if there was? You want your property and savings back from the Empire don't you? I mean they did nothing to prevent Tarkin's actions, they don't actually deserve it!" He tried to suppress a yawn of tiredness not wanting to give her the impression she was boring him. 

  
"I'm sure you are getting to some sort of a point."

  
"You 'died' in the line of duty didn't you? So if you haven't got any family to leave everything to it gets absorbed by the Empire right?"

  
"Yes. Obviously."

  
"Right so you said that Scarif was such a big disaster that it could take them days to go through all the losses and deal with all the estates right? But they would have published a list of casualties by tomorrow surely. So... let's say... I may um know a slightly less than honest celebrant who can create and back date the records convincingly to show you had married me at least in the records. Then they would have no reason to turn me down if I went to resolve your affairs as an upset widow now would they? It's not that much of a stretch, plenty of people on that station knew I worked around your department. Given what happened at the ball on Empire Day even Tarkin himself wouldn't be so shocked. I mean that's if you trusted me to do that for you. I realise it is a lot to trust someone with. But at least that way you wont have lost it all." She waited for him to consider what she had just proposed and searched his features for his thoughts. 

  
"And you say I'm the genius? That is quite brilliant. If not somewhat devious. As to if I trust you or not, well I did say I would trust an embezzling traitor one day didn’t I?” She had honestly forgotten he said that until he brought it up again, of course then she remembered that he had also used the term ‘maybe’ one day.

  
“It just came to me, you know what it's like when I have something that pops into my head like that.” Krennic still ached enough to wince slightly when he made enough of a move to lie on his back and look up at her in the barely lit room. Just enough light to make her out. 

  
“I do rather like the idea, I would like to suggest one improvement to the plan however." She felt a little concerned that she might have missed some detail of the perfect plan, which was entirely possible given her lack of sleep. 

  
“Oh? What is that?”

  
“Why only marry me in a false record only? Why not actually get this celebrant to do it officially and just have the date changed hm?” He ran the back of his knuckles down her cheek then down between her breasts. He tried not to smirk when he felt that she had stopped breathing for a second. Either from his touch or that it was taking a while for her brain to catch up with what he had said. She blinked a couple of times before remembering to breathe again. 

  
“Uh.. What? I… I don’t think I get it…”

  
“Marry me Kitah Shae, not just for some brilliant scheme of yours. Marry me because I genuinely want you to. I’ve never in my life had a woman understand me and tolerate me like you. You genuinely love and indulge me, I know you do. You are far too complicated for some swain to understand much less please and we both know I am actually far too possessive to ever let you go, to let anyone else ever have you as long as I still draw breath.” 

  
She could scarcely remember him ever being so brutally honest when it came to her in two years. For once not trying to push her away with some negative connotation about his age or career. She felt her eyes well up at the corners with a bit of emotion.  _ Oh how ridiculous.  _ She cursed herself in embarrassment doing such a silly thing as getting teary and quickly wiped her eye with the back of her wrist before something fell.  _ Answer him and don’t ramble.  _

  
“I say yes I will Orson, because I genuinely want to as well.” She leaned over and kissed him, being careful not to lean on his injuries, she lost track of how long she did that for before falling back asleep again somehow. Kitah had no idea that her idea would finish up like that when it wouldn’t let her sleep. Guess that was why.

  
Krennic became vaguely aware of where he was when the light came up in the room, he had to blink and look around for a few moments before it all came back to him again. Though he had never slept so soundly for so long. Kitah had taken his chrono off him early in the morning when it was still dark and switched the alarm off. He realised she wasn’t there quite quickly when he looked for his chrono to see what time it was he found it on the bedside table on top of a flimsiplast note ‘Back Soon. K.’ He thought about how her employee had tried to chew her ear off for not leaving a note. He didn’t get to dwell too much longer on the situation when the door to her house sounded. The almost instinctual urge to look for his blaster in an unknown situation with an unknown arrival was going to take some time to get over. There was some rustling and movement outside the room. He was about to force himself up when she appeared at the doorway.

  
“Well now. That is unexpected to find you Orson Krennic still in bed at this hour. Do you know for how long I was unable to sleep past dawn when I got here? Weeks. Of course I do still wake up a lot better than I used to no matter how little sleep I get. Sorry I took your chrono off you but I didn’t want you getting up before you had to.” She had casual clothing on. Not even those work overalls, her hair loosely tied back still with strands all over the place. He looked her over to the bags she had at the end of one of her hands. 

  
“Hope you don’t mind that I took the liberty of getting you a couple of things. As you can’t just go walking around in what’s left of your uniform forever.” He sat up in bed resting back against the wall as she sidled over and stood at the foot of the bed. Dropping the bags on there. 

  
“Heh. Look who is all grown up and looking after who right now hm? So obviously no nightmares I take it?” She tilted her head at his observation having forgotten she had told him about that only the day before. Too much to think about.

  
“Oh I do not mean to tread on your toes Orson, and no. Thank you for asking. But it is not like you can go wandering around town right now, especially in the clothes you had on your back. We are not immune to the odd Imperial patrol kicking around on Thaere and you would easily be recognised even all the way out here if you were in Imperial livery. Since you are dead that wouldn’t be a good idea now would it?” She rummaged around in the bags producing some of the clothes she had gotten for him. He had to admit he was impressed by her taste considering she had barely ever seen him in civilian clothes. 

  
“Interestingly enough news of a big rebel attack on an unknown Imperial base with thousands of lives lost has filtered through even to out here. Since it is not on the holonet there must be someone very talkative around. I guess the news has come from the rebel side of the conflict.” She disappeared from the room again and returned with a mug of caf for him. 

  
“Breakfast out there for you when you want it. No mess hall deliveries here I am afraid.” He nodded at all she had said. Content to listen to her and peacefully drink the more than decent mug of caf, different as it was he could get used to this. “So you were serious about that conversation we had in the dark hours of the morning?” She asked hoping not to sound desperate or nagging. He looked up from the mug and directly at her. 

  
“Kitah, why would I say or ask such a thing if I did not mean it or I was not serious? Unless it is you who has some doubts.” 

  
“No I don’t, I was just checking because I contacted my somewhat corrupt celebrant friend who said they would be happy to come do me this favour. I really hope you want to because given what I heard around town we will not have a lot of time to put this plan together. With news coming through from the rebellion side, you know it won't be long before an official version comes through the holonet from the Empire. The loss of the base will no doubt speed up their absorption of unclaimed deceased personnel assets to put towards the campaign of dealing with the rebels.”

  
“I understand that timing will be an important part of your plan. I do hope that you were not hoping for some grand ceremony and this is all some sort of disappointment to you.” She shook her head, never having entertained the idea of actually marrying anybody much less making a grand ceremony of it before. 

  
“Don’t be silly Orson. Do you think I actually care about such things right now? I grew out of the fairy tale of big wedding ideas right around when I stopped asking for an orbak for my birthday. I have barely any friends, one of them being you. The other being Adarn and I guess by extension his wife. The only other person I would even consider a friend outside of this base right now unfortunately died on Scarif as you know.” It stung a little more to her when she had to admit out loud that Captain Pterro was part of the casualties of Scarif. She shook her head getting rid of the thoughts before they consumed her and made her upset and angry all over again.

  
Krennic was never one for getting emotional over such things as the loss of people throughout his life. But yes that loss did pull at the threads of his emotionless visage just the smallest amount. Now if he hadn’t been as determined to get rid of her as she had been determined not to be truthful with him for so long and he had committed to marry her while in his now old life, it would have been the kind of event that would have been held on Coruscant with various people Krennic would not remotely consider his friends but people that would have benefited his career in some way or form as it was the proper thing for a high ranking officer to do. But all those needs were buried under the rubble of the citadel now weren’t they.

  
“Then like you I see no point in being concerned about the short time frame.” She fished around in her pants pocket for something before coming and sitting next to him.

  
“So, this was amongst my few personal possessions shipped here with the rest of the stuff from StarDrive. Guess you could say it was probably at the back of my mind when I thought I would lose it all if they found out why I was really still on the station after the party. Well until you fixed that of course...” She held her hand up for a moment when she could see he was about to say something about the way he dealt with it at the time.

  
“... Orson please don’t. I don’t care about how that all came about any more. It just happened that way. I also thought we established many times had it not been you who found out what I had been doing and no matter what unorthodox way you chose to handle it, if anyone; absolutely anyone else found out then my life would have been essentially over but that’s not what happened so how about you don’t think about bringing it up in that connotation again?” All he could do was nod and wonder again how the hell she knew what he was going to bring up. She unwrapped what she had gotten out of her pocket. It was a ring. Quite an old looking one from what he could see. Not one from a jeweller or trader. It was a plain band. Made by hand. 

  
“Do you have any objections to using this? It was my mother’s. I really don’t have much else from my parents anymore. Dad made it for her back on Corellia.” He took it out of her hand and looked at it. 

  
“This is made out of doonium. You know it is one of the hardest metals in existence, difficult to manipulate. Your father must have been quite the skilled metal worker to be able to make something like this so precisely. Doonium is not an easy substance to come by anymore. I can’t say I would have a problem with that if that's what you want.”

  
“I guess he was, I don't really remember. You don't pay attention to those kinds of things when you're a kid. Or at least I didn't. I know what doonium’s properties are. I just didn’t know what it was made out of. I never had a need to get its composition tested. How did you even know what it was made out of?” She went to take it back off him and he closed his hand and pulled it away. Her mouth dropped open a little at his action.

  
“Oh no. That’s mine for now. You can have it back after your celebrant friend gets here. I know it is doonium because of the texture of the metal and how much it weighs for the volume involved. I was responsible for requisitioning almost every free speck of doonium in the known galaxy for the reactor housing of the battle station even in some not very what one would consider moral ways. As I’ve said many times before there’s a lot about me you don’t know both good and bad. So I hope you have considered that in the time it took you to think up the marry me part of this plan of yours.” She folded her arms. 

  
“I didn't consider it as part of the 'look like I had married you' plan. I considered it when you actually asked me to marry you honestly. Though I think I know enough about what makes you, well you. To make an informed choice. Difficult individual that you can be sometimes. You already told me when you told me about Hu’yohr how much blood you had on your hands concerning that project and probably your whole career. You aren’t the first officer in the military with a position that cost a lot of blood on their hands you will not be the last. I care about things you do that directly affect me or yourself. I Can't change anything you did before I knew you.” 

  
They were clearly just going to have to persist and hope that their unlikely tolerance and enjoyment of each other's company would last.

* * *

Kitah had already been and seen Adarn when he got to work early that morning. He had been surprised to see her up and about so early and when she told him what Krennic and her were planning to do he was too busy carrying on like a man who had won a bet with himself. Though he had not expected to win it so soon. He also was not so keen to hear they were going to be servicing the ships of a couple of small time criminals for free for the next rotation. 

  
Kitah had met this particular 'friend' when they were stuck on Thaere with a broken down hyperdrive and were sent to her to see if she could fix it by some people in town. They made it worth her while to get it done quickly and quietly. When such a good job was done it came out in conversation that they would be willing to bring in more work if it would continue to be done on the quiet side of things. Thaere was a perfect stop point for such things given its location on the Corellian run and proximity to three other major hyperspace routes. Bragging about how they extorted money out of estates by using fake credentials was information that got buried at the back of Kitah’s mind until it was brought up by this particular situation.

  
Initially he was not pleased to hear about his line of work being spoken about. But since it was her who wanted to use it rather than referring someone else then he guessed it wasn’t that much of an issue. He couldn't help being a bit chuffed that he got to perform an actual marriage rather than just use his credentials to lodge another false one. Kitah also had to stop him from freaking out when she had to tell him that the date and location change had to be good enough to make it past an Imperial security check, the kind they might run on a high ranking officer. Terrified the Empire would find out about his little side hustle just because he was doing a favour for some Imperial officers soon to be wife. But it was mutually assured destruction. Kitah had to let him know that the officer was basically deserting by faking his own death and would have no intention of turning him in. She thought that was a true enough version of events.  
  


* * *

  
“Oh my stars that is very verrrrrry pretty!” Adarn’s Twi’lek wife's eyes went wide looking at the necklace in the open box on Kitah’s dresser while she helped Kitah get ready. Not that Kitah thought she needed much getting ready in the short amount of time they had. Tsmree was having none of that. She said no matter how small of a ceremony it was, any wedding was important and a bride should act that way. Well at least Tsmree didn’t yank or pull her hair anywhere near as badly as that droid had. When she was finished with Kitah’s hair and dress, that was of course after remarking that she didn’t even know she owned one. 

  
Kitah wouldn’t own such a thing if it wasn’t for Orson as she had actually bought it on the oft chance she got to actually go to Coruscant one day to see him on one of those occasions he would complain about having to come to Thaere. She figured she could have surprised him and told him fine, don’t come here then I’ll go there. Of course that didn’t happen but at least the violet coloured garment would not go to waste. Amree of course already noted that it went well with the stones in that necklace.

  
“May I?” She asked, wanting to touch it. Kitah nodded 

  
“Course you can. Just be careful with it.” The pale blue skinned Twi'lek picked it up to look closely at it. Of course as much as she liked jewellery her skills at figuring out what it was made of and where it was from were next to non-existent. Nowhere near as good as the last person who discerned its origin and probable cost.   
  
“That Imperial officer really bought this for you? I guess they are not all that bad. Maybe just the stories I hear from Ryloth. Oh I’ll definitely have to ask Ardie to get me one like it.” Kitah lifted the loose parts of her hair up so Tsmree could put it on for her.

  
“You know, I think you better get Adarn to ask Orson where he got it from and let him know that you want one.”  _...And hope that he is sitting down if he decides to do so. _ That was a much easier way to let her down than saying there was no way he was going to be able to afford to get her such a thing. Even Kitah had not made enough from her designs to buy anything near what she knew it could have cost thanks to the Grand Admirals description of it. Kitah would never be so rude to ask Krennic what it had cost herself. It was a nice feeling to have it back on again.

  
Tsmree wasted no time after they were done and had walked from Kitah’s home to the hangar to where the three men were standing around talking on the back tarmac to rush up to Adarn and point out the necklace to him begging him for one. Kitah shook her head at amusement watching Krennic put his hands in the pockets of his trousers and bit his bottom lip and shake his head not wanting to say anything out loud that might offend either of the people Kitah considered her friends. That was the first time he had ever looked really ‘human’ to Kitah, sure he acted human to her often enough. But never looked like it in his uniform nor with the authoritative way he carried himself, especially in front of others. Decades in the military was going to be a hard thing for him to shake. But seeing him like that now, Kitah could see that he might just be able to do that eventually.

  
“You little lady are very lucky you got a hold of me when you did.” The celebrant told Kitah “Any later and I would have been on my way out to Smuggler’s Run to fix up a couple of… well… to fix up a couple.” He tapped the side of his nose “Fortunately you caught me at Vandor. So not too much trouble to swing out here and do this for you and I promise to put the union in the Imperial system as well as the Galactic Standard system for you before I leave. But I’ll do that from the capital. Just so sweet to be doing a real ceremony. Almost forgot what that’s like.” He grasped his chin in thought looking at his datapad and glancing at Krennic “Now you are absolutely positively sure that you are not going to go coming back from the dead to turn me in, are you sir?” Krennic shook his head rocking back on his heels slightly. 

  
“Couldn’t even if I wanted to. So your lucrative life of crime is safe for the foreseeable future. Of course don’t come looking for me if you get picked up out of pure unfortunate luck.” The celebrant went a little pale at the thought before announcing they got things under way as time was short.

  
Neither of the couple had the time of the mental capacity to come up with anything outside of the standard vows. If they wanted to say something terribly significant to one another they would do it in private. When the celebrant asked for the ring, initially Kitah was a bit worried when the beautifully bright and polished doonium ring was produced. Thinking for a moment that somehow Krennic had chosen to use a different one. It was only when he put it on her and she had an excuse to stare at it closely that she realised it was the same one. At some point since he took it from her that morning he had cleaned it up. That had made her tear up again despite her determination not to do such a thing. She had never seen it look like that and didn't know it even could.

  
Krennic found himself feeling genuinely pleased to see that it had made an impression on her to see it like that. It would impress her more later when she would learn he had restored its shine himself. Knowing a thing or two about doonium certainly helped with that, the rest long unused material skills he already had. His life had genuinely fallen apart just a couple of days ago and everything that had happened right up until the point the celebrant told him he could kiss the bride had felt mostly illusory but kissing her then, kissing her as his wife made her his all over again and that felt more real than anything. That single moment was a humbling reality check for Kitah as well. Orson Krennic probably could have had his choice of just about any trophy wife he wanted given his position in the military. He admitted that he would have chosen her over any of them. Even if Scarif hadn’t happened. He was now her husband most definitely for better or for worse now. 

  
They used their real credentials to fill out the proof of marriage, fortunately for Krennic his identity and credentials were encoded into his rank badge, which was even more perfect. This was something that would have been very difficult for the celebrant to make a fraudulent copy of. It was going to make someone questioning the legitimacy of the information difficult. He signed on the datapad and added his thumb print to the certification. As did Kitah. Adarn and his wife did the same as the ceremony witnesses. The only things that would change now would be the date and the place. 

  
He would lodge it, have it backdated to several months ago. To that last time Krennic had come to Thaere. The only ones who knew where he had really gone had died on Scarif. So there was no one who could say he had been on Thaere as opposed to Favis Resort on Brentaal where it would say on the proof of marriage. No one was going to question the validity of Director Krennic spending a couple of days of shore leave on a planet he went to school on, much less getting married at a resort on that planet. His suggestion of it made it absolutely ideal.  
  


* * *

  
Kitah was tapping her fingernails against her glass of wine watching the holonet flicker on the set that was playing in the hangar. Tsmree was talking to her excitedly about how she had told Adarn to ask Orson about Kitah’s necklace while the four of them lingered about in the brightly lit hangar having a celebratory drink mostly after Tsmree and Adarn had argued with the newly wed couple about traditions. Kitah glanced over her glass at the two men talking. Krennic knew that mischievous look on her face. It was the same one she had when she deliberately set that red headed menace onto Tarkin. Kitah couldn’t hold in her giggle when she heard Adarn yell “What!?” At the top of his lungs. It echoed through the whole hangar. 

  
“Oh dear I hope Ardie asked him the right thing. I better go check….” Kitah was glad that Tsmree immediately wanted to go check on her husband. Kitah had to turn away from the whole scene not able to hide her soft laughter. She heard steps come up behind her, before she could turn around she felt Krennic’s fingertips run up her spine to the back of her neck. She knew what that gesture was all about. Except this time he didn’t care about leaning in and kissing her neck. 

  
“You, Missus Krennic are quite mischievous. Makes me wonder what sort of woman I’ve married.” He put his good arm around her middle and pulled her back against him still favouring his right to hold his drink instead. 

  
“I do rather like the sound of both those things and hearing you say them. I also doubt you are under any illusion as to what sort of a woman you have married. As for mischievous I didn't think you were actually going to tell him what this cost. Not like you would tell me if I asked.” She tapped her fingers momentarily against the sparkling adornment around her neck.

  
“Of course not and I never intend to tell you. Your employee is also sworn to secrecy as a condition of me telling him. It was always a gift and I wanted you to have it, but I didn’t buy it just for people to be jealous over. I bought it for you because you deserved it after you were more than content to stay in my bed even after how I had treated you the day I asked you to accompany me to that ball. Glad you like the sound of it, because I quite liked saying it.”  


  
“Oh Orson, don't know why you never told me these things.” 

  
“Because contrary to popular belief I don’t have a need to gloat about every single thing I do. Sometimes I actually just rather enjoy the fruits of my labour quietly. Rest assured, I’ll tell you if I feel I need to.” She leaned her head back into him with a sigh, content as she could be with his reasoning before returning to her vigil over the holonet. He glanced over at the display himself. 

  
“You know if you keep staring at it incessantly it what you want to see will take longer.” 

  
“You know I don't actually believe that right? I don't think you actually do either. I am also waiting for a message to confirm that everything was filed without issue at our capital here. It was only two days ago since Scarif happened so perhaps I am on edge for nothing.” 

  
“You know, I am strangely filled with a renewed and sudden faith in your 'feelings' my love.” That change of phrase was not lost on her at all. While he had not come out with and was unlikely to ever use the phrase ‘I love you’ she knew how he felt through his own subtle ways and was prepared to be content with that. 

  
“Why not come back to the house and I’ll teach you a thing or two you will need to know about the Department of Advanced Weapons Research on Coruscant plus a few other things to get you through your little endeavour.” She could almost feel him smirking behind her. 

  
“Naturally we will discuss further about why you happen to have this beautiful dress and how to get you out of it.” He moved his hand from around her up to her necklace “Then remind you of the details of how much I like how you look only in this…” Before running his hand across to her shoulder and down her arm over her wrist and hand and out to her finger rubbing his thumb over the polished ring “...As well as this.” Sometimes he was too fucking charming for his own good. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 🎵 [Ursine Vulpine ft. Annaca - Wicked Game (Flutag Remix)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SYA_0oLWmh0)  
> .... What a wicked thing to do indeed. Been waiting to use that song through this whole darn story. It is from both of their perspectives. Should be easy to work out which parts are which. 
> 
> So there, no more lies. No more secrets and probably the fluffiest chapter in the whole thing. But, there the villain has the girl and lets face it its kind of what 'we' wanted. Just hope I accomplished it without changing the established character too much. 
> 
> Yes, things do move 'fast' in this chapter as to keep it fitting in the timeline there is a quick passage of time. From Rogue One - A New Hope 
> 
> * [Rank Insignia Plaques](https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Rank_insignia_plaque) \- I took an artistic liberty here I guess, it does say they can be encoded with information. I dunno... anyone seen an Imperial officer carrying their wallet around? No? Me either.  
> * [Smuggler's Run - Legends](https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Smuggler%27s_Run/Legends) & [Vandor](https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Vandor)  
> * [Favis Resort](https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Favis_Resort) Legends Content, but same planet as Brentaal where Orson and Galen attended the Republic futures program. Another little liberty that was actually taken more for its geographical location than for its suitability. Other resort planets are just too far away to be reached in the recorded amount of time Krennic would have had available for leave on those dates.


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was only going to post one more chapter but I split the last one into two shorter ones rather than post one huge long one to finish off. So, now I guess I just have to finish on lucky 13. I may have taken more artistic license here again in the sense I have not read the Thrawn novels (gasp... i know... I will i promise.) So I guess I can not accurately portray Brierly Ronan nor do I know where he actually was for this time frame.

* * *

Kitah checked on the holonet later that night to see if they had posted about what happened at Scarif yet. She was surprised at what it said when it did get announced, she put her glasses on so she could read it closer

  
"It says the tranquil island planet of Scarif was assaulted by rebel forces. That they used a fleet strike and high explosives to destroy an Imperial base killing thousands of troops stationed there for rest and recuperation purposes.” Kitah knew that most of the operations there were a secret and it was only fortunate her StarDrive had worked on the battle station at all or she would never have known about it. She didn't think that this was the story being told however. “It also says that the rebels themselves were killed during the attack and any that escaped are being hunted by the Imperial Navy to prevent further terrorist attacks. Well I guess that part is sort of true." Krennic scoffed at the pack of lies. 

  
"Normally I wouldn't be so bothered by cover stories in the interest of security but there was no benefit to this one. If that backstabbing fossil hadn't done what he did to the base. I would have been able to tell the Empire about this flaw in the battle station. When I go through the data tape and find out what that may actually be. Which I would have done given the chance. That is why I was even at Scarif, searching for any way Galen might have compromised the project. Which we now all know he did." Kitah was listening to him, Galen Erso had come up several times in his ranting the day before. She nodded and scrolled up the list of lost personnel, the sheer number of them made her a little sick, not including the loss of the two fully crewed star destroyers. She finally got to the section naming officers specifically 

  
"Your name is on here Orson." He looked over her shoulder at it. 

  
"So it is, well now that is quite an experience seeing one’s own name on a deceased personnel listing. I do hope you were paying attention to the names and places you will need to have even the smallest amount of knowledge of. I already know that Coruscant is going to be a shock to your sheltered system. Just by the way you reacted to the station, were it not actually impossible for me to accompany you there is no way I would condone you going there alone. That impulse to order some of my guards to shadow you for such a thing is very high as you know.”

  
She closed down the screen as she reluctantly made the move to get up again. She would have been perfectly fine had they not updated the Holonet until morning to be perfectly honest. But she knew she couldn't waste time now the casualty list was posted. 

  
“Being in awe of something for the first time doesn't mean I will get myself into trouble. Besides, it is a surface level trip in one of the most heavily guarded sectors on the planet. I actually feel my most difficult task will be not trying to strangle the first superior I see for what was allowed to happen not only to you but all the others.” Kitah dragged her feet over to her closet looking for something else to wear that would suit the occasion. Luckily that violet dress wasn't the only thing that wasn't a pair of overalls she had purchased in recent times. 

  
"You won't run into anyone superior to me in the Research Facility, Deputy Director Brierly Ronan will be the only other one there close to my rank and it isn't like you haven't met the man before. Even Tarkin won't have a reason to be there, he will be too busy gloating over 'his' new battle station flexing his usurped might over any rebels he might happen across no doubt. Of course it is probably best you avoid strangling any officers, no one likes a hysterical woman. Even a widow."

  
“I am not prone to bouts of hysteria Orson. Least I try not to be. Oh yes. Ronan. I remember that name.” After she had finished getting changed she stepped out of her closet. "You know I had considered going in my uniform but somehow I thought this was more appropriate. Wouldn't think it a wise idea to draw attention to the fact that Director Krennic of all men married a cadet now would it?" What she had on looked very Coruscant fashion, it was a black pant suit with wide flowing legs. She had a black scarf wrapped around her neck. It was open backed and had a very interesting sleeve design. She still didn't feel comfortable wearing anything like it. 

  
"It might have started a few lines of conversation, then again I still would have done what I wanted if that was marrying a cadet then that's what it would have been. As for your choice of outfit it is appropriate indeed. I am just wondering what it is you are doing with it? The dress was a surprise as it was, this is not like you at all.” She put on the tall black heels that went with it 

  
"Same story as the dress and bought at the same time. You can be quite unpredictable, never knew if you would spring something on me that would require something besides my uniform or work clothes.”

  
"Well you know that would have been unlikely as I know how much you hated such things, you would have just struggled and complained.” She laughed at that. Knowing how the Empire Day ball had turned out she would never have complained about attending any such thing at his request ever again. “Speaking of your uniform, have you still got that code cylinder I gave you on the station?”

  
“Of course I do, if I recall you said you would have me shot if I lost it.” She walked back to her closet to find it, leaving him to remember for a moment just how nice she looked in a set of heels and how frustrating it was to hardly have ever seen her in such things. Kitah came back out with it rolling it over in her fingers. “You think I will need it?”

  
"Well there's also codes on there for my apartment and my office on Coruscant, not like I would have bothered to remove something that at the time there was never a chance of you seeing. My lack of forethought I suppose. If you have any other trouble; however unlikely. You can always show them that, no one is going to be able to punish me for giving it away now are they. Least they should be more inclined to believe I most certainly knew and trusted you for a lot longer than the few months since the official date on those records." Kitah put it away in her purse that she finally had convinced him to return before she left the station 

  
“I'll only use it if I have to because no doubt it will get confiscated pretty quickly if I am found with it regardless of if you gave it to me or not.” She went over to her dresser and started to put her hair up, the open back in her top made it easy to see the long scar that ran from the top of her shoulder near her neck all the way down her shoulder blade when she lifted her hair up to pull it into some sort of up style. She heard him walk up behind her and felt him trace his fingers down the scar making her lose concentration for a second having to scramble to grab the loose hair again.

  
"I said it then and I still believe I should have just shot the fucking bitch for that you know." He remembered vividly the sight of so much Kitah's blood on the sterile station floor and not being able to show the slightest bit of actual concern over it.

  
"You know it wasn't going to be worth it, I thought you dealt with the whole thing remarkably well at the time, knowing what I now know about you."

  
“Oh what I did to your Bothan 'friend' would have been nothing compared to what I would have done to Cassar at the time if I could have gotten away with it.” He took in a deep breath before it infuriated him. Orson Krennic was still not a man to be crossed even 'dead'. “I am going to see what I can do with that mess of equipment in your workshop to see if I can come up with something to read that data tape while you are gone. Will give me something to do besides think about what's the worst that could happen to you.”

  
“You know that is officially half your mess of equipment now. If you managed to rig up an encrypted communicator capable of contacting me all the way out here from Scarif out of a busted up AT-ACT and a few other things I am sure reading an Imperial data tape will be of little consequence to your skills. Speaking of, did you turn the friend or foe transmitter back on in my shuttle while you were programming the navigation for me?” She finished putting her hair up and grabbed her bag looking around to make sure there was nothing else she would need, glancing over at his tunic still hung on the back of one of her chairs, she wished he would get rid of it now he didn't need it. The blaster scorch mark among other damage was a reminder that didn't sit well with her.

  
“Kitah whatever half of it I decide is mine will not be anywhere near as chaotic as yours. As for the FFT yes I reconnected it. I also made you a copy of the navigation data for when you change ships. Nice of your criminal 'friends' to let you swap for another ship halfway there. Just make sure they don't give you something that is flagged.” Hopefully there would be no suspicion of her actions and she would not be followed in any way to begin with. She was about to walk out her door to the tarmac when he grabbed her upper arm and pulled her back, kissing her forcefully like he used to just after they had met. 

  
“You stay out of trouble. If you get one of those feelings of yours that things are going wrong then you forget the whole thing and you leave. Understand?” She licked her lips and nodded 

  
“Orson, I know it is hard for you to not be in control of something for once, but stop worrying. You will give me some sort of a jinx. I will be back before you even have time to miss me.” 

  
“That is unlikely.”  
  


* * *

Pained as she would be to admit it, despite trying her hardest to give Krennic the impression that there was no way that she was going to be even the slightest bit intimidated by Coruscant, the city planet was easily the most terrifying thing she had ever laid eyes on. The absolute volume of ships coming and going from the planet's surface in addition to even the number of military ships was more than she had ever seen in her entire working life. Even above the skies of Corellia and Kuat combined. 

  
There is no way known she ever would have been able to navigate through the shipping lanes to the surface much less find the right district without Krennic's precise programming of the navigation systems. By time she actually managed to land the borrowed shuttle on the right pad of the tall building that Krennic's apartment was in. She was a complete nervous wreck. “I honestly never... never want to come here again…”

  
Kitah was going to have to spend a little while in the complex calming herself down that was for sure. Though at least the building that housed the Department of Advanced Weapons Research was within walking distance or at least that's what she was told by Orson, who immediately added after that he had never actually walked it himself to find out. But there was no way in hell she was moving that shuttle again, taking off and leaving would be it. Once inside the apartment complex the corridors while well appointed and not clinical like the station or any Imperial facility were all mostly the same. She was glad that there were only a limited number of apartments attached to each landing area otherwise she would have been there for who knows how long searching for one similar door out of many. When she found the right numbered door she took out the code cylinder hoping against hope it would work because if it didn't she would have nowhere to calm her nerves before braving his actual place of work. She put the cylinder into the lock device and waited for the most satisfying sound of the day, the happy beep of the device as the lock indicator flashed from red across to green. 

  
He had told her where to find a backup security key for the door in the likely event they removed the code cylinder from her. Kitah put her bag on a table after tossing the found card in her purse. There was no sign that anyone had been there as an effect of the disaster on Scarif. Clearly Krennic had not been there in a long time either. While there was no sign of anything specific as in dead house plants, she then laughed at the very concept of someone like him having house plants shaking her head but there was a submicroscopic layer of dust on the surfaces which was not really surprising. 

  
For as tightly sealed the place appeared to be, it was clear that no amount of seals would keep out the pollution for whatever length of time it had been left without an occupant. The other main thing that gave it away as to how long it had been since Krennic had been there according to her senses was there was no smell of him. No faint scent of that aftershave he wore, no ciggara smell nor that of any of the expensive array of alcohols he had there. She gave a glance out onto the balcony sure the view was not that terrible from this complex but it did not appeal. That was one thing she had liked about Thaere, it was green and quiet. Coruscant was about as green as any other place she had lived in her short life. Try as she might she could not block out that dull constant buzzing of speeder traffic and she was not looking forward to going out in it again.

  
She gave one more look around the apartment committing a few things and obtainable views to memory in case she was asked for any details. She inhaled a deep breath steeling herself to brave the street level of the complex. At least no one looked at her like she didn't belong there. Following his directions she walked to the Imperial offices. She was at least right about it being one of the most heavily guarded places on the planet, sure plenty of civilians walked around but not even the most suicidal of insurgents would think to try anything here. She glanced over a few of the shops while going past, before walking briskly across the concourse out the front of the right building. Like she expected she barely got two steps inside the doors before she was stopped by troopers who promptly demanded the identification of the angry civilian that had just stormed in.

  
“Here!” She got it out of her purse and handed it to the closest one. 

  
“I need to speak to someone here right now, someone in a place of authority preferably that can tell me about what happened to Director Krennic.” The troopers turned to each other when that came out of a civilian's mouth in such a way. The trooper with her identicard scanned it. He paused and scanned it for the second time. Kitah felt one of those familiar chills run up her spine and if not for spending so much time with Krennic she might have started to shuffle and ramble nervously. No this time she stood firm and angry looking glaring at the 'incompetent' trooper who couldn’t scan an identicard. She added a little more anger and impatience to her demand “Well?” She snapped. The troopers looked at her card a third time. “Who is in charge that I can speak to? Clearly you troopers have some trouble with being able to read?”

  
“Ma'am, who are you and what is your connection with the Director? This is a restricted building. You can not come in here and just...” She cut him off angrily. 

  
“Your scanner, is it broken? I am his wife!” Well the trooper knew that's what the identicard said. They were just having a very hard time grasping the concept and unfortunately she was not the first one trying to take advantage of the situation that they had seen so far. She was the first to try and claim being the wife of such a high ranking officer though. 

  
“Yes ma'am we have a functional scanner it is just...” While one trooper was trying to explain things to Kitah the other put a call into the Deputy Director's office. His aide picked up 

  
“Tifino here. What is it you want?” Couldn't these troopers do anything? He thought. 

  
“Sir, there is a woman here claiming to be Director Krennic's wife. Her identicard says that she is but you told us to be more vigilant when it comes to fraud since the casualty list was released. She wants to talk to someone in charge. What are we supposed to do with her?” The aide could hear the woman yelling at the other trooper in the background about why she had to find out her husband was dead off the holonet report. 

  
“Seriously? Another one? What is this today number four? Five? I don't know. Just another crazy after some quick credits. But this is clearly a severe offence impersonating such a high ranking officer's widow. Send a scan of her identification through to me now and we will see about this. Send her down to my office so at least she can be detained for the ISB when needed.” The trooper sent her identification through as requested then handed it back to Kitah. 

  
She took it back from him, the trooper pointed over towards a turbolift telling her to take it to the floor with the Deputy Director's office as marked on the placard near it and to follow the corridor almost to the end and the Deputy Directors aide would meet her there. Kitah stormed away from them muttering about how Krennic put up with such incompetence, as much as she was putting on an act there was no way he would have tolerated it in reality. When she got off the turbolift and before she reached the end of the corridor she could already see the aide standing impatiently outside of his own small office. He stood aside.

  
“Please, come in and take a seat.” It wasn't lost on Kitah that he secured the door when she did so. He sat down opposite her at his sparse desk. “I am ensign Tifino. So the trooper out there tells me that you are claiming to be the wife of Director Krennic? We have no knowledge of him being married.” 

  
Tifino, Krennic had severely demoted him some time ago for being a drunken security risk. Just one of the things Krennic had brought up on his rants when it came to security breaches he had gotten the blame for by Tarkin. Kitah guessed a demotion to ensign was a pretty light punishment all things considered. He sat there looking down his nose at her however.

  
“How nice, Ensign Tifino. I do not 'claim' to be his wife. I am his wife. By you have no knowledge what you mean is he did not specifically share it with anyone here. The information has always been there should anyone have felt curious enough to look it up.” He did not appreciate her curtness. It was almost like she was specifically referring to him when she said he had not shared it with anyone here. It was obviously going to take more than that to trip up this scam artist. 

  
“And why do you think that is?”

  
“I honestly do not know. I have always found it most wise to not actually question the way he did things or why he did them. If he didn't mention it I am sure he had his reasons. I do know how often he was concerned with security and safety and frankly right now I can most definitely see why. Clearly he was not concerned enough.” Tifino was yet to be convinced so pried more. 

  
“So am I to assume that you are here to settle his affairs then?”

  
“Settle his affairs, yes. I also want his personal belongings from the battle station as well.” He scoffed at her request, except unlike her he was far more easy to trip up. 

  
“How is it you know about the battle station? Perhaps you are some sort of rebel spy? What makes you think you would be entitled to anything from there?” Krennic would have denied the station and thrown the question back instead of confirming the secret.

  
“Are you kidding me? A rebel spy? I know about it because I was a contractor for Rendili StarDrive stationed there, how on Coruscant do you think I met the man? I worked with him and spent a lot of time with him there, I want them back for sentimental reasons. I have read all those works in his libraries, they contain copies of all of his original building designs and other works and I want them. The rest of the texts took him decades to accumulate and I don't want them thrown down a trash chute!” While her story was starting to sound a little more convincing, Tifino thought it would be so redeeming if he could actually prevent whoever this woman was from stealing from his estate or getting hold of his property. If she was on the station well that might have explained where she got a few of these extra details from. 

  
“Oh so you worked with him then? What about his apartment here on Coruscant? I assume you have been there then? See I am just wondering if you didn't just catch his name on the deceased personal list and are here trying to make yourself a fast credit. Thinking you can bluff your way through just because you might have worked with him on the station for a little while."

  
"Of course I have been there! Really? You have my credentials, did you actually look? I mean really look? Because I am certain if you looked against my history you would find that Director Krennic was the one that got me my last posting after my companies contract on the station finished. Or are you just assuming you know anything about me? Don't you think if I was going to pull such a scam I would pick a less well known officer other than the damn Director of the Advanced Weapons Research?! How do you even still have a position in this institution at all?!" Tifino became a little suspect that she might have at least spoken to Director Krennic about that little incident at that Empire Day ball he had attended on Coruscant. He put his hands on the desk and laced his fingers together half willing to accept the version of events. 

  
"Alright, suppose that I believe that you were genuinely married to him. But he chose not to tell us, this looks suspiciously like some sort of a coercion. That you perhaps insisted that he did not say anything specific? A marriage of convenience. Just waiting for a slim chance of something to happen to him? Some sort of scam like that?"

  
Kitah had had just about enough of this man grasping at ridiculous straws. She was here to get what belonged to its rightful owner back to him more than anything else. She didn't like him before based on Krennic's description of him alone, now even less so. She figured it was time for the show she had been rehearsing in her head. She jumped up out of the chair and banged her hands open palmed onto the table. 

  
“Slim?! It wasn't very slim now was it!! You idiots somehow managed to let him and thousands of others get killed in some miserable little rebel terrorist attack!!” She fished around in her purse and took out the code cylinder and slammed it down on the desk making Tifino pull his hands back sharply recoiling at her yelling in his face. “You ask me how close we were? You ask me if I am truly genuine? Well I am sure even you know what that is right? Why don't you go run a check on it. I mean really check. Not just assume. Because you will find it opens his office on the station, his personal quarters on the station and his apartment here. Do you want to know how I know all this? Because he gave it to me! He carried an un-coded one around for over a year and you incompetent idiots didn’t even pick up on that!” She raised her voice even further 

  
“And when you have finished checking on that and run another in depth check on my credentials I want to talk to Deputy Director Brierly Ronan!!” Tears streamed down her cheeks, while they may have been tears of anger directed at Tarkin for what he had done to Krennic and the others it served to give off the true impression of an angry grief stricken widow. Tifino hopped back out of his chair quickly as he grabbed the code cylinder off the desk and actually moved out the door like he had been scalded by an Admiral, not an angry civilian.

  
She slowly sat back down inhaling a few deep breaths, that was nowhere near as hard as she thought it would be. Turns out she had a fair bit more pent up rage and upset over the whole situation than she gave herself credit for. “ _When you don't fidget or ramble and you take pride in your appearance you have no idea what you could accomplish.”_ Krennic's words of wisdom from well over a year ago no longer lost on her. She shot a glare at the door when Tifino finally returned looking very sheepish. Kitah scowled knowingly at his apologetic posture. 

  
“Please forgive my misunderstanding and I do apologise for the interrogation Missus Krennic. It would appear you were indeed telling the truth. The Deputy Director says he will see you immediately.” Kitah picked up her purse and went to leave, pausing level with Tifino giving him a sideways glance. 

  
“You know, Ensign Tifino if my husband weren't dead and you spoke to me the way you have for any other reason he would most certainly make you wish that you were.” Tifino gulped nervously, yes it would indeed appear that this woman was most definitely who she said she was. Where else would someone like her pick up such a demeanour other than being around Director Krennic. 

  
“S...sorry for your l...loss Ma'am.” He quivered out.

  
Brierly Ronan stood up when she entered his office. His uniform was almost identical to Krennic's, apart from a change in rank insignia and the lack of cape. She had almost forgotten what he looked like. There had only been a couple of brief exchanges of pleasantries if they happened to cross paths in Krennic's office or when properly introduced at the Empire Day ball on the station. Ronan recognised her without too much difficulty. 

  
“Oh I remember you. You are that charming creature Director Krennic managed to convince to come to the last Empire Day Ball on the station. I was not aware that you were his wife. I did not recognise the name when I looked up the credentials. But now I put your face to it well now that makes a lot more sense.” He motioned for her to take a seat. Kitah sat down again, not that she felt like it. But this man was loyal to Krennic and always had been and he would not have approved at all if he knew how Tarkin had fired on Scarif knowing full well that the Director had been there. 

  
“Oh I was not his wife back then that is for sure. We were just friends then. Well at least that is what I thought. We got married only a matter of months ago actually and I just now find out he was killed at Scarif and no one even tells me? I had to find it out myself from the holonet?”

  
“Perhaps if he had let some of his people know he got married then someone might have been able to contact you formally before you had to suffer through the shock of finding out the way you did.” 

  
“As I already explained to that obnoxious aide of yours, if Orson didn't say anything then he must have had a good reason to not share it. As it was I had no idea he was going to do something like that even though we had gotten close as you could imagine but it was still a shock when he asks me and says he has limited leave time and wants to whisk me off spontaneously to some island resort on Brentaal to get married? I barely had a moment to even contact my friends!” She laughed at the recalled 'memory' before her saddened expression returned. Ronan looked at her with real sympathy. It made her skin crawl a little, only because she knew that he would have felt genuinely bad for her. 

  
“I am so sorry this has happened to you...” He paused a moment looking at his datapad again not having quite committed her name to memory yet. “..Kitah. I could tell just from seeing the two of you that evening that the man was quite fond of you even back then. Now Ensign Tifino tells me you were also wanting the Directors personal effects from the station. I have agreed to this and I will send for them, it is fortunate that you did come when you did. They will be moving the battle station to deploy troops to deal with the rebels responsible for the attack that killed your husband. So I guess you can take some comfort in that. Once the message is received they will dispatch a shuttle I'll make certain of it. I will also arrange to have his finances and other affairs transferred over to you as well. I take it you are staying at his apartment here? I will need to take a copy of your credentials here to complete this. This is alright with you?” She was glad to finally be getting somewhere, although she knew she would have to wait several hours for all this. Depending on where Tarkin had the battle station now and when the shuttle would leave. 

  
“Of course it is. I do appreciate it Deputy Director.” He waved his hand dismissively. 

  
“Brierly is just fine, don't think I need to hear my title more in this instance. Would you like to take a look at the Directors personal office here? There isn't much left in it but you are welcome to anything the ISB didn't already take when they showed up within hours of the reports coming through.”

  
“Oh I guess that would actually be nice, more closure I guess.” Ronan stood and walked out of his own office back into the corridor 

  
“If you walk down to the very end there the door to the left is … was his office. I think you will find that it is still unlocked.” Kitah left his office and walked down to where he had directed. Correct as he was, the door was indeed unlocked. When it swished open she saw the thing had been pretty much ransacked by the ISB and stripped of anything remotely sensitive since she could see nothing at all to do with the battle station or anything else he had told her about in the last forty eight hours. She picked up an overturned box on the floor that no doubt held flimsiplast files or holotexts at some stage before it was stripped. 

  
Not that Krennic was one for keeping a lot of personal things in general, she could see a few texts that had been left behind she could see him wanting. She shifted some piles of flimsipast off the desk shrugging when they fell to the floor in a heap, no one else had cared about leaving a mess so why should she. When they fell however she was drawn to another crystal weight on the desk. Upon picking it up and examining it she realised it was very close to the one that had caused the confrontation on the station. Kitah swore her shoulder blade tingled at the very notion. This was something she knew he would want in that case. To keep one in both of his offices. She put it carefully down the bottom of the box. Before she went to leave she turned and looked out the windows of the office. The turbo lift in the building was quite deceiving as to how high up it went, ninety something floors. 

  
Kitah swore his office had an even nicer view than his apartment looking out over another rooftop park on another building. She knew there were certainly worse places to work, at least from inside. Outside she still thought it was up for debate when it came to Coruscant. She picked up the box of things and headed back to Ronan's office to let him know she was done. He waved her in when he saw her. 

  
“Thanks so much for letting me look in there Deputy Director, typical of Orson he didn't have a real lot of personal effects in there. But there were a few of his holotexts about architecture that I always enjoyed looking at.” She smiled to herself not having to even search for a lie. 

  
“They're nice memories. He loved talking about anything he worked on at great length with an equal amount of pride.” 

  
“Brierly ma'am remember. I am pleased you have found some comfort amongst those items. I dread to think how other departments are handling the disaster and the amount of people like yourself that must have been notified by now. Overall there were not many losses from this division but it was enough and of course we lost our commander. Will that be all for you here today?” Kitah sighed sadly. 

  
“I guess it is. Like you I don't want to think about what all of them must be going through as well. Guess rebel sympathisers don't see this side of things. As for now, I really don't know what I'll do with myself.” Ronan flicked through the files on his datapad at her indecision. 

  
“Actually come to think of it I did have a quick look at your security clearance test scores for the battle station. Appears the Director left them attached to your personnel file. Did you actually consider completing the required core units at the academy and getting a full time posting here? Bright young minds in this building never go astray.” Kitah inhaled a breath at the thought, not once had she ever thought about any sort of position in the Empire like that. Had never entertained the idea of changing the way things were. But it was still a nice feeling to actually get an offer. 

  
“As nice of a sentiment as that is, I just don't think I could at this time. I would find it too upsetting. I am sure you understand, I have considered returning to Kuat Drive Yards. I was too young to be offered a significant position in the research and development department when I was there about five years ago.” Ronan shrugged, a little disappointed he could not convince her but he most definitely understood. Though he felt Director Krennic would have been pleased he made the suggestion. 

  
“Well I guess knowing you could be having something to do with improving our fleet is close enough to serving the Imperial Navy itself. Still an asset to the Empire. If you need a letter of recommendation based on these results here and your short service on the Battle Station I would be happy to provide you with one. I do wish you luck with whatever you choose to do. Someone will bring your access cards and documents as well as the personal effects from the station to you at Director Krennic's apartment when they arrive. Again I am sorry for your loss.” The comm on Ronan's desk went off. He held up a hand apologetically to Kitah as he answered it, Tifino's voice sounded through it. 

  
“Sir, that new transfer is here early. I did tell her she would have to wait for her appointment time but she is insisting the troopers let her up immediately.” Kitah could see Ronan glancing upward while he tried to rack his brain for whatever appointment he was expecting 

  
“Who was this transfer again?” Tifino went silent while he checked. 

  
“Someone from Governor Tarkin's apprenticeship program. An Enn Cassar?” Ronan shrugged to himself, he honestly couldn't remember the appointment being today at all or it would have come up on his datapad when he came on duty 

  
“Fine, she can still wait though. Send her in when I am done here.” He ended the comm. “I am sorry about that.” Kitah had to force away the grin that clawed at her features. 

  
“Dep... I mean Brierly. I think that before you interview that transfer you should look up an incident report from when she was posted on the battle station. Apparently she had a rather violent run in with a contractor. I recall Orson having to deal with it personally as it was so bad. I hope you have a good rest of your day and I am sorry that I had to bring this to your attention today. Probably not something you wanted to think about, I know you were always very supportive of Orson. At least he always said you were.” He nodded kindly at her as he started to look up Enn's file. 

  
“You are a very mature young woman, you know that.” Kitah picked up the box of items again and went to leave. 

  
“You know what, I am pretty sure Orson said something similar once. Thanks again.” She picked up the box of items and turned to head out just as Ronan skimmed over the part in the incident report about who was involved. He looked up just in time to catch a glimpse of the long scar on her back. He was going to say something to her but let it lie, realising she probably didn't want to stay there talking about such things. He went back to reading the rest of the file that Director Krennic had added some very detailed notes to.

  
Kitah walked down the corridor heading back towards the level foyer and turbo lifts. Before she made it there however she saw Enn getting out of the turbolift. Well her hair, uniform and rank had all remained virtually unchanged since she saw her last. Though she had an overly trashy amount of makeup on for a transfer interview that was for sure. It took Enn less than half a second to recognise Kitah of course. 

  
“You again?! What the hell are you even doing here Ca-Det?” She made an overly loud and specific mention of her former title. 

  
“Why did they even let you in here? Because clearly from yet another over dressed outfit you are nothing more than a civilian now and as such have absolutely no reason to be in a restricted building such as this! I suppose you are clearly just here to harass Director Krennic yet again. A detriment to the Empire as always from stopping the man from doing his work. Here I thought he would have come to his senses after all this time.” Kitah's face pouted, the only thing she could do to keep herself from just laughing at her. She placed the box of items safely on a waiting bench beside her. Precisely where Enn should have had her own arse planted and waiting like she was told to rather than harassing her.

  
“You know, Enn I am terribly sorry to be the one to tell you this since you have clearly not been looking at the holonet but Director Krennic is dead. He was killed by rebels in the base disaster on Scarif two days ago.” Kitah gave Enn a few moments to stew on that while she considered a way to step around her and get to the turbo lifts. Enn was clearly not taking what she was told very well. It was incomprehensible to her. She proceeded to vent in Kitah's direction however because she always seemed to be the cause of every one of her problems since she showed up. 

  
“Well... we … th... then what are you even doing here!? If he is not here for you to follow around you lost an... an... anooba!” Kitah jerked her neck back a little and raised her eyebrow.

  
“Oh so it's an anooba now? Nice to see you're sticking within the basic animal genre. Four legged carnivores. What next? A vornskr? A nexu? Sand panther? I can give you a few more suggestions if you like.” Kitah had zero reason to hold in any contempt she had for this bitch if anything the way her shoulder ached every damn morning and probably would for the rest of her life gave her even less of a reason to hold back. 

  
“As for what am I doing here you basic bitch I am here sorting out my husband's affairs.” Kitah was about to end any prospect this woman had of getting a posting in this building. She held up her left hand showing her the perfectly polished doonium band. _Oh if she even knew how it got polished that way..._

  
“Pfft husband? Who in this department would have been desperate enough to marry the likes of a civilian like you?” Enn was apparently still a very slow thinker. Just at that moment Tifino stepped out of his office again looking for Enn after hearing the two women talking in the corridor. When he saw Kitah was still there he tried again to make amends for his earlier actions in the hopes Kitah wouldn't lodge a formal complaint. 

  
“Oh Missus Krennic you are still here? Did you get everything you needed? Again I apologise...” Enn's eyes went wild as she lunged at Kitah so hard it knocked her back into the wall, she grabbed her left arm so hard it immediately started to bruise, grabbing her left side deliberately knowing it would hurt even more. Tifino was stunned in place, he couldn't believe two women who must have just met could have got into such an altercation so quickly.

  
“What!! Is this some sick joke amongst all of you? If it is I do not appreciate it! Because this is just not true!” Kitah tried to shove Enn back, her arm still firmly in Enn's grasp. Kitah grabbed Enn's wrist in an attempt to dislodge her. She couldn't give a fuck who heard what she was about to say. Enn had been a thorn in her side and the bane of Orsons existence quite long enough. 

  
“Oh it is no fucking joke Enn. Unlike you I actually had a real relationship with Director Krennic that lasted almost two years right under your damn nose in fact! You were too damn busy being obsessed with the man to actually notice anything real about him! All you had with him was oh that's right a 'quick fuck over his desk' that he regretted immensely as he so often put it. Told me about it within days of me staying with him actually!” Enn had started to scathe like she had done when Kitah vowed to turn her stalking behaviour into Krennic. Except this time she didn't have a knife to get her with. Enn was furious and upset that Krennic was supposedly dead and that this aggravating nuisance was here and claiming to be his wife. 

  
“You evil little fucking bitch. This is all your fault! If it wasn't for you he would have come around. I was clearly the better career choice of a partner for him and I am the one that loved him!!” She snarled at Kitah in a rage. Too absorbed to notice the embarrassed look that grew more on Tifino's face as he continued to be subjected to their argument. Tifino would rather break up a fight between a couple of aforementioned abooba or vornskr than a couple of angry women who he could now see clearly had a long lasting deep grudge against one another, worse still involving his former superior. 

  
“You stupid woman! You weren't in love with him, you were fucking obsessed! You blatantly stalked the man every minute of the day you were able. If anyone was hanging around his office like a lost massiff it was you! Whenever you weren't hanging around him or his office you were clearly taking every opportunity you could to take things from it to add to your sick little shrine! Then for you to attack me over your stupid fantasy? Over jealousy? I can't believe you honestly think the first time you saw me with him on that Empire Day was the first time I'd ever been with him off duty? Now get your fucking hand off my arm Enn or I'll make you!” Kitah growled sounding unsettlingly like her husband. At this point even Ronan had opened his door to see what the commotion was that he could hear from down the corridor. 

  
“What will you do to me? You pathetic little mouse. You couldn't stop me from putting that little scratch on your back. How did it feel? Hmm? Bet it still stings. I am going to have you investigated! Because you were obviously only interested in conning the Director that's why you got him to marry you!” Ronan had walked closer standing near Tifino. He briefly considered stepping in but given the contents of the argument and after what he had just read in that incident report he felt there were certain things that were clearly only getting resolved one way. 

  
“You know what Enn, it felt awful. But not the worst I have ever felt in my life. Of course returning to Director Krennic’s quarters and sleeping naked next to him right after the incident made it feel much better thank you for asking, sorry where was it you spent the night? Oh that's right. In the brig! Do you remember the last thing my husband said to you after he knocked you off your fucking feet for what you did? I mean that's if you heard him over the sound of your cheek bone shattering. In case he somehow failed to get the message across to you how furious he was? The only reason he didn't shoot you on the damn spot was he didn't want to deal with the ISB wasting his time!” Enn squeezed Kitah's arm tighter with rage making her wince more. 

  
“He never meant that! He never would have done that to me!”

  
“Oh yes he fucking did. I distinctly remember you whimpering on the floor when he put his hand on his sidearm. Unfortunately he is not here any more to remind you of what he said. But...” Kitah pushed herself towards Enn and tucked her heel in behind Enn's ankle and gave her a hard shove back at her shoulder causing her to trip over backwards, finally losing her grip on Kitah's arm and landing harshly hitting her head on the floor. Kitah angrily followed up with her pointed heel into Enn's shoulder. 

  
“He told you that if you ever came near me again he would fucking kill you. So just in case he wasn't crystal clear; if you come near me ever again... I will kill you myself!” Kitah glared down at Enn one last time pressing her heel hard into her as she stepped off her causing Enn to screech in agony. Kitah picked up the box of belongings before turning to Ronan and Tifino who she knew were standing there. 

  
“Gentleman.” As the doors of the turbolift closed and Kitah was gone, Enn still yet to get herself up off the floor. Tifino turned to Ronan. 

  
“Guess she really was his wife huh sir?” Ronan nodded 

  
“Without a doubt.” He turned and headed back to his office. Tifino looked at Enn and shrugged.

  
“I am sure he will call you when he is ready. Perhaps you should just sit there for a while?” Tifino pointed to the bench and assumed that if the meeting ever came it would be very short.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 🎵 [Thomas Bergersen - Avalanche](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3TDxWWmzXXY)
> 
> * Krennics office on Coruscant is described as being on the 92nd floor, over looking a rooftop park. (From which he saw Lyra and Jynn before he sauntered over there to passively aggressively threaten Lyra. From Catalyst)
> 
> * [Tifino](https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Tifino)
> 
> The rest of things I had to guess/put together of course based on other views of Coruscant or as they were described in Catalyst. 
> 
> Wondering if I should have sent Enn back to the station in hindsight.... 🤔


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well there we are, the last 8,000 words. Thank you so much for reading! There's a little fluff in here too... just a smidge.

* * *

Kitah drifted around a few of the shops that she had passed on her way to the Imperial offices, even though it had all been a ruse. There was so much truth and so much raw emotion involved especially when she had to deal with that damn redhead hopefully for the last time ever. The rest just served as a reminder about how hard it was going to be for Orson to let all of that go, his prestige and his career. She hoped he had something in mind he wanted to do. 

  
Kitah found a few things that she actually felt like purchasing. Not like she ever planned to come back to Coruscant again if she could help it. She slowly made her way back to Krennic's apartment, where for the next several hours while she waited for his things to arrive she began to pack up things she knew he would want. Especially his civilian wardrobe, which like most of his things was very expensive looking. She picked up a nice looking chronometer out of one of the drawers. Kitah had to admit to being a little surprised that he did not find some other rule exception to make so that he didn't have to wear the basic military issue one. 

  
Overall it did not take long to clear his apartment of anything remotely personal. Material, that was a different matter. She spent some time carrying what she could to the shuttle and storing it and still no arrival. Paranoia of course started to creep in. She spent the rest of her time distracting herself ensuring everything was locked down and put away. Afterall it would be no time soon if ever that Krennic would return here. He was a dead man after all.

  
Suffering from the time difference tiredness she had drifted off in the only comfortable chair in the lounge area. She was roused by the door chime. When she walked across to the door to open it she was shocked at whose face she saw on the other side of it when she was expecting just a couple of troopers. 

  
"Dunstig?!" She staggered backwards from the door like she had seen a ghost she went as pale as one. She had quickly assumed and though not wanting to dwell on it that he had perished on Scarif like so many others. Pterro turned to the troopers that were accompanying him. 

  
"Wait with the shuttle. I'll send for you when needed." The stormtroopers with him acknowledged and did so. 

  
"Yes Captain." Pterro then let himself into Krennic's apartment without waiting to be invited, closing the door behind him. "Well. I'm not sure which one of us is more surprised. Clearly from your reaction you thought I was dead. I also thought you of better character than to be here impersonating, although rather skilfully... A dead man's wife." Kitah staggered back further as he walked in, she was still in shock at seeing him. 

  
"H...how did you get off Scarif? I heard it was a disaster. Thousands dead! I assumed if Orson was dead you would be too!" Pterro looked tired. Like he had not slept since Scarif. 

  
"I would have been had I not been in the process of delivering reinforcements to one of the furthest landing pads from the citadel when..." He stopped himself almost forgetting she didn't actually know what had actually happened "... When the rebels destroyed the citadel. There was nothing left to do except be recalled to the station. Then today I find it most curious to hear that the Deputy Director had sent for Director Krennic's personal belongings because his wife wants them. Obviously knowing he didn't have one I volunteered to do so. Reporting you should be interesting, averse as I would be to do that. But then again, betraying the man who felt for you as he did after you read what happened on the holonet no doubt? That is a low act." Kitah felt so bad for him, that he felt she could do such a thing. 

  
"Tell me Dunstig please what did Orson tell you about us... Really? You always knew more than you ever let on. Just humour me before you go hauling me in. You owe me that much please..." Pterro wasn't sure why he owed her anything given what she was here doing right now. 

  
"Between what he told me and what I observed you had been staying with him from that night you got yourself drugged at the party those private contractors had after the completion of one of the major sectors. So what's that about two years ago now? While he didn't read me into the full detail of it at first he did eventually tell me that you once owed the Empire quite a bit of debt and in exchange for not telling anyone about it he wanted you to stay around for lack of a better description, whether that was a smart move or stupid mistake depends on ones point of view.” He crossed his arms, still glaring at her. 

  
“So to my knowledge that's how the whole thing started with you two. He told me a few months ago in fact that he knew you loved him and he didn't know what to do with that information as he would not have you back on that station once it was complete and entered active service. That was after the trip he took to Thaere. Well the one to see you anyway." Kitah walked over to where she had dumped her bag before just taking her purse to the Imperial offices. She needed to know just how much Krennic trusted Dunstig before she made an executive decision. If Krennic confided in him enough to tell him all of that she guessed he trusted him quite a bit. Pterro eyed her with further disdain while she moved. 

  
"Do you truly believe Dunstig that if I loved him that I would be stealing from him? That I would actually pretend to be his widow?"

  
"I wouldn't blame you at all if you thought you were entitled. You probably were the closest thing he had to one. But I had not believed you would. No. But you're actually here aren't you. So what else would I think?" She put her hand in her bag, Pterro actually tensed thinking she might have a weapon in there. 

  
"Would you ever have betrayed him Dunstig? To Tarkin? Or anyone else for that matter?"

  
"Now you're just trying to insult me Miss Shae." He said quite pointedly about to summon those troopers back. "I worked with the man for over fifteen years! I would never …" Kitah inhaled and hope she would not regret her next action, if she couldn't convince him to not have her arrested then Krennic would still lose everything and even worse he'd lose her too and be stuck on Thaere if he wanted to remain alive. 

  
"He's not dead."

  
"..Betray h." Pterro paused mid sentence as her words hit home. 

  
"What? That's just not possible. We both know it's not possible. You weren't there, you did not see how catastrophically the citadel was destroyed. I don't know what game you think you're playing Miss Sh.." She lost him for words again pulling Krennic's Imperial rank badge out of her bag. 

  
"If he wasn't alive... How would I get this?" She turned it over to show him the twelve tiled insignia. "I am not in a position to find a Fleet Admiral to take theirs." She handed it to Pterro who was clearly still a bit shocked by her claim. He looked it over, turning it multiple times to discern if it was authentic. He really wanted to believe her. But how could he? "I also know what happened at Scarif and I know what Tarkin did. I know he used the Death Star super laser to do it. The one that Galen Erso helped build. The same Galen Erso that Orson went to the futures program with on Brentaal."

  
Pterro stared down at the badge in his hands. It had to be true. There was no way Director Krennic would have potentially jeopardised his position by telling her anything about the true purpose of the station and its weapon unless he had nothing to lose. Unless he was dead. Dead to the Empire anyway. 

  
"Please Dunstig you have to believe me. If I'm stealing from anyone I'm stealing everything Orson ever cared about besides that damn battle station back from the Empire after Tarkin murdered him and everyone else at that base!" She got upset again at the thought that she could have actually lost him. Pterro looked at her. 

  
"You really are telling the truth aren't you." He said almost absently. Kitah nodded furiously wiping her angry tears away. When did she get so damn emotional? 

  
"Please... Please don't tell anyone. If the Empire finds out he is alive Tarkin will make sure he's killed permanently. Me as well no doubt, knowing Tarkin probably first and make Orson watch if he thought it would make him suffer just that little bit more." Pterro looked over Krennic's rank badge once more before handing it back to her. 

  
“He really married you or is that a ruse too?” She ran her thumbs over the tiles on the badge before making a balancing motion with her left hand before pointing out the ring on her finger. 

  
“Yes he did, no that wasn't a ruse. Date and place on record however that is not accurate for obvious reasons. But he really did ask me as a genuine question and I did really say yes. This was my mother's Orson actually restored it for me, I had no idea he could even do that.” Pterro was not only pleased his former superior was not dead, but had actually made up his damn mind about Kitah who was not here trying to steal from him. She was risking her neck in a very big way for both of them. He was more than content to keep his mouth shut for them. 

  
"I am sorry for your loss Mrs Krennic. I'll ensure all the requested items are moved across to your shuttle and I believe these are yours." He took out and handed her the new access cards for 'her' bank accounts and the transfer of the rest of Krennic's properties. Kitah put them safely into her bag along with Krennic's rank badge. She hugged Pterro one last time as a friend knowing she would likely never see him again. 

  
"He was a very lucky man." He noted. Kitah laughed letting him go. 

  
"Heh. I guess he 'was'. What will you do now?"

  
"Return to the station. It's not like I've been officially reassigned." She couldn't stop what came flying out of her mouth next.

  
"Don't go back there! I had this bad feeling for a long time before Scarif and I am begging you as a friend don't go back there. I don't trust these rebels, Orson knows that no matter what Tarkin might say that they definitely got away with the plans to the station and they will be looking for that one flaw. Please do us all a favour and go and see Deputy Director Ronan. Tell him you want a transfer, you might find how after Ensign Tifino treated me today he is quite open to taking on Orson's aide and pilot. Will you please do that? He would understand completely. He was also never terribly fond of Tarkin and was always loyal to Orson."

  
"You know. I think I just might. My wife might even appreciate it." Kitah also laughed at that thought, pleased he would do so. She gave him a goodbye kiss on the cheek. 

  
"You take care of yourself Dunstig Pterro and thanks again for all you taught me. Don't think I would have got here or other places without those skills." He nodded. 

  
"You are most welcome." He turned and left. Kitah hoped telling him the things she did was the best course of action.

  
Just when she was fully packed to leave she caught sight of the holonet. Emperor Palpatines voice could be clearly heard, announcing that the rebels had participated in the destruction of the planet of Alderaan. A catastrophic planetary explosion caused by the destruction of the planet's own super weapons that they were clearly building to aid the rebellion. She had a hunch that was unlikely and the Death Stars super laser was more likely to blame instead. Governor Tarkin held the reins to the Death Star now, no doubt wanting to show off the might of Krennic's achievement. Of course not giving him any credit. 

  
She had nothing for or against Alderaan. But she knew billions of people lived on it, even if destroying the planet got ten thousand rebels however unlikely that was a whole planet's destruction would not be worth it. Someone was sure to bring swift retribution for the crime of it, she had a feeling it was not going to be the Empire. It was a very strange coincidence that Palpatine had almost simultaneously used the confusion to dissolve the senate exactly like Krennic said would happen once the station was complete. She turned and gave the apartment another look over seeing that everything was turned off and in order not knowing when or if she would come back to it before she locked the door securely.

* * *

  
  
With everything going on she was more than glad to be out of Coruscant's sector. When she arrived on the planet that she had changed ships on she never thought she would be so happy to see a bunch of small time criminals. The trip there at least had been uneventful, clearly she was not under any sort of suspicion when she left Coruscant. When she came down the ramp of their borrowed ship she was just in time to see a few of them elbowing each other and exchanging credits. 

  
"Pay up. Ya'll owe me big time you three! See crazy lady. They all bet against you coming back. But not me. I had faith. Plus I wanted my ship back. I happen to like it more than your blaringly obvious Imperial one I would have had to sell.” The female leader of the unruly bunch signalled the sore losers to transfer the cargo over from her ship back to Kitah's Lambda shuttle “It was making everyone paranoid just sitting there. Oh yeah and that item you asked for? I am telling you it was certainly a hard thing to find. I have never been asked for one and I locate a lot of stuff for a lot of people. It will still cost what I quoted though.” Kitah gave her a funny look 

  
“What do you mean still?” The smuggler opened the box and showed her the contents. “Really? Look at the condition of it!” Kitah seemed to always be parting with more credits than she wanted for things. 

  
“Yes or no? It will be pretty much impossible for you to find another one, very few made in the first place and they are pretty old you know. Even in this condition. I am sure you can manage. I mean look at the work you've done on our ships electronics. Just perfect. Deal?” Kitah huffed with annoyance and handed over the credits snapping the box closed. “Thanks for looking after my ship and bringing her back safe and sound.” Kitah gave one look around it making sure nothing had been left behind, and then over her own ship to make sure nothing had been taken. 

  
“Hope I don't need to do it again any time soon. See you the next time you break something!” The smuggler gave Kitah a mocking salute and cleared the landing area.

  
The Lambda shuttle landed on the tarmac just outside the hangar back on Thaere with its nose poking in side the door slightly. Kitah reclined back in the seat for a moment letting out a deep sigh like she had been holding it in for a day. She stood up and leaned forward looking out the view port to see Adarn wiping his hands on his overalls on his way over to the shuttle. Kitah picked up her bag along with the box she had just acquired and made her way to the ramp, ever so happy to be back on her own ground so to speak the dull buzz of Coruscant still rang in her ears. Thaere was deathly silent compared to it. 

  
“Well I'm glad ta see ya aint dead. I really didn't like tha whole idea of ya not being able to comm any of us for the whole time ya was gone. I get that t’was all secret and stuff but ya wouldna think they be watchin yous two so closely.” He threw his hands up a little frustrated with it all. Kitah couldn't help but wonder what trouble if any Orson had given him in her absence. 

  
“Oh Adarn, I do have something for you. Well technically it is for Tsmree but I'm giving it to you and you can do what you like with it.” She pulled her bag half off her shoulder rummaging around in it. What she pulled out was clearly a jewellery case. Adarn felt like he was going to have a heart attack. 

  
“Oh maker ya didn't do somethin so silly as ta...” Kitah laughed. 

  
“Calm down. There is no way I could even think about affording something like what Tsmree was eyeing off on my wedding day.” She opened the box to show him. The design was in the same vein as the one she had being fashionable Coruscanti in design. 

  
“This one is all crystals though. Well with the exception of that one there.” She tapped the humble size diamond in the middle of the colourful cluster of stones. “Consider it a bonus. Would have come out of your pay cheque at some stage anyway knowing Amree. It was my money I spent on it, not Orson's in case you were wondering.” Adarn took the case from her. 

  
“I dun know what ta say. I mean other than thank ya? She will love it. She won't care that it's only got tha one diamond in it. She will be over our moon with that. Thank ya so much for thinkin of us with all ya had on ya mind out there.” Kitah smiled. Adarn tolerated plenty from her since he started working for her. She figured he was about due for a bonus anyway. 

  
“Speaking of Orson, where is he? Back at the house?” Adarn pointed up to her office. 

  
“Oh nah. He formerly of tha Empire has taken over yer office. Barely seen im since ya left.” Kitah shook her head. Well that was typical of Orson. While he had his work taken away from him, if he found something else he wanted to do he would not leave it alone. Just like her. 

  
“Apparently you can take the work away from the man but you can't take the man away from the work.” Adarn started to put his attention back to what he was working on, now he had to have worries about not one but two crazy work obsessed people.

  
"Yeah, alright. Whatever that means I'll just take ya word for it." Adarn gave his eyes a slight roll at his eccentric but kind boss, patting the jewellery box knowing just how much his wife would love its contents. Kitah made her way up the stairs to her office and workshop, when she opened the door she was a bit stunned at how quickly it had been completely re arranged and put in some form of order. 

  
“Orson what in the name of the maker have you done to my office?! I'll never be able to find anything now...” He was seated at her desk and looked up from what he was doing with one of his maddeningly nonchalant expressions. 

  
“I can scarcely imagine how you found anything before. It was complete and utter chaos, there was no way I could work in it. Makes me even question how I am able to be seated here to even be getting chastised by you when I think of how you managed to put your little device together in this ugh I have no words. You can not begin to tell me that this sort of order is not easier to work in? Also I believe you reminded me that this mess as it stood was half mine. So consider I brought order to my half. You can have that disorganised half out there in the hangar.” He gestured. Kitah shook her head with an amused smile on her features.

  
“Well it might be better but you might have noticed I tend to get so absorbed in what I am doing I just don't notice the chaos that builds up around it.” She walked to the desk after having to admit she could at least do that without tripping over something, placing the box she had brought in down on it and her bag on the floor next to it. “Maybe I am just not as gifted as you think I am. Since I am not able to keep track of everything at once, unlike you seem to be able to. Maybe with you supervising me all the time it might not get away from me so much hm?” She stood up close to him and stroked his cheeks. 

  
“So different to see you like this. Relaxed and I would almost use the term scruffy. Not in a bad way of course.” Her fingers moved up and swept through his somewhat unkempt hair that he had clearly only brushed back with his hands.

  
“Don't mistake how I look for being relaxed Kitah. You have seen me truly relaxed and even then I have always had a lot on my mind. Though I guess I should have considerably less now. You are gifted, you are just chaotic. I am methodical, that doesn't go away just because my military career has come to an abrupt end.” Despite his initial denial of being relaxed she felt a tenseness go out of him when she put her hands on him. 

  
So that had not changed at least. She looked at the holodisplay attached to the datapad and reader contraption he had come up with to read the Death Star datatape; it was all hooked up to her main terminal, stealing its processing power as well to read the large datatape. Of course not far from that which he had built there was an empty bottle of something expensive she had forgotten was in her house as well as the empty pack of ciggaras.

  
“So I see you got it to work. I also see it took a lot of concentration to achieve. I just hope you won't have to concentrate... nearly as hard on things in the future.” There was a slight backhanded tone in her voice, concern over the way he concentrated by smoking and drinking so he could maintain some impossible balance of being simultaneously calm and alert. He knew what that tone was getting at and rewarded her attempt at a gentle dig with a blunt response.

  
“Don't start on me Kitah. You'll never win. Don't make me regret my decisions.” He reached past her and turned on the holodisplay. The three dimensional design of the Death Star coming up a slight flicker here and there. She gave him only a concerned sigh at his response. 

  
"Sorry Orson. I think I might have forgotten for a moment just how much your whole life has been up ended in the last few days. Forgive me.” She said without trying to sound too sympathetic. “So did you find this supposed flaw after all this?" He nodded and input a command into the datapad that spun the model. He pointed the stylus at something small, zooming into the trench. 

  
"I actually believe so, right there. In the polar trench. A miserable little exhaust port, that has absolutely no business being there. It is the only thing I could find that was remotely vulnerable as it provides access directly to the reactor core, whereas the others in place have offsets to prevent this kind of vulnerability. It has to be it.” She looked closely at it herself, wondering how much time he had spent looking for it. 

  
"You are certain? It would not be easy to take advantage of such a small flaw if you could call it that."

  
"If they could get a guided explosive into it perhaps or somehow managed to get saboteurs onto the surface to implant an explosive charge? However unlikely it would be catastrophic. The rector would rapidly destabilise and vaporise the whole station near instantly if my calculations are correct. Which is why I insisted on the damn offset exhaust ports. How this one got through is beyond me. Not like I was the only architect checking the fucking work!" While he raised his voice and even let that lisp of his surface she didn't flinch. Kitah knew it was going to take him a long time to let go of being outraged about something that was his job to get outraged about for nearly twenty years. 

  
She still wasn't so sure of anyone having the skills to take advantage of such a small flaw. Not that she doubted his calculations but more doubted the rebels' abilities to get past what she knew of the station's defences to take advantage of it. The external defences of the station were too numerous to count. She reached forward to the datapad and rotated the model herself trying to see how they would even approach it. When she reached across his view Krennic noticed the bruises on her arm, he grabbed her near her elbow turning her arm over so he should get a better look at the bruising grip pattern. 

  
"What is this? Who did that to you?" His first thoughts went to rough handling by a trooper at a checkpoint. Kitah's eyebrows raised for a moment she had completely forgotten about the bruises that Enn and her little meltdown placed on her. It seemed like so long ago already. 

  
“Oh I had forgotten about those. I guess I should probably tell you about what happened at your old offices then. You'll be somewhat displeased to know that Brierly; who is very regretful of your demise by the way, has that obnoxious Tifino working for him as aide. The loud mouthed one you told me about... He thought he would take it upon himself to investigate me like I was just claiming I was married to you. Which I guess, is perfectly fair. But the fact he didn't check any of my credentials prior to that was my biggest concern, when I did produce your old code cylinder that did thankfully get me through to speak to Ronan. Who was more than happy to sort out your affairs with me. He allowed me to take anything I wanted out of your office that the ISB didn't already remove.”

  
“Tifino did this to you? I highly doubt that man has the grip strength to be honest. I am pleased that you did get to speak to the Deputy Director at least. So if it wasn't Tifino then how did this happen?”

  
“Oh you will never guess who was stepping off the turbolift just as I was done. But our old friend Enn Cassar.” Krennic inadvertently gripped her arm tightly at just the mention of the name. The thought of the fact that the wretched bitch was somehow still even drawing breath after all he had lost. Kitah winced and grabbed his wrist as an involuntary reaction, he responded by quickly loosening his grip. 

  
“Why the fuck would she even be there?!” He demanded.

  
“She was looking to get herself reassigned to your department again. Maybe she thought you might have forgiven her after all that time. But don't fret Orson I might have made you proud. I took the greatest of pleasure in letting her down very gently about your death since it appeared that she had no idea. She wasn't exactly sympathetic to me when she heard that I was there to sort out my husband's affairs. Well, that was right up until Ensign Tifino just happened to check if I had everything I needed by his way of grovelling, calling me Missus Krennic as he did so.” She saw the smallest of smirks tug at the edge of his mouth. 

  
“Well... when she realised it was true that was when she lunged at me and grabbed my arm. Tifino was just stuck standing there like he had been stunned. So, I told her how it was. Told her in so many words that you'd been fucking me right under her nose for over a year. Right up until she attacked me. That the only reason you didn't shoot her was because you didn't want to deal with the ISB poking their noses in. What was she going to do? Tell on you? You're dead. She started going all rabid mynock on me again. So I tripped her over backwards onto the floor where I reminded her about your warning of what you would do to her if she touched me again. Told her I would do the same in your place.” Kitah shrugged. 

  
“Even Ronan didn't step in to stop it when I stepped off and crunched her shoulder with my heel. I doubt she will be furthering her career there, or possibly anywhere for that matter.” He rubbed his thumb absently over the marks on her arm. He would not admit it out loud, he couldn't resist the feeling like he should have been there to deal with it, of course that was impossible and would have defeated the whole reason behind the endeavour. He was missing his authority and the respect that went with it already.

  
“You are light years away from that timid little thing that almost gave herself a concussion within seconds of realising whose bed she was in. I am most proud of my efforts.” She kicked off those aforementioned heels before gently sliding the holodisplay contraption aside and sat on the desk in front of him putting her feet up on the arm of the chair. He raised an eyebrow at her. 

  
“It is my desk and I'll sit on it if I want to.” He reclined back in the chair looking up at her caressing his hand idly from her ankle up her calf. 

  
“Oh I have no intention of telling you to get off it. I don't recall ever telling you to get off a desk even when it was my own.” He continued his hand a little higher, Kitah gave her head a half shake biting her lip wanting to get something else out before she got too distracted by his touch.

  
“While I have your undivided attention Orson...” He gave her a look that gave the vague suggestion of attention. 

  
“... Mostly undivided. Go on.” Kitah inhaled bravely not knowing how much he was going to appreciate the next line of conversation. 

  
"If Tarkin hadn't taken command of the Death Star away from you what would you have done with it?" His hand froze where it was, that mischievous look that had started to work its way onto his features quickly turned serious wondering why she would come out with such a question at this point. 

  
“What it was always intended for of course. Find whatever planet the rebels were using as their staging area and use its full destructive capability and destroy the whole planet. As such it would have sent a message to the galaxy that their reckless acts of terrorism inciting violence and civil war would not be tolerated by the Empire. It would have brought peace, peace through fear. But peace nonetheless and it would have deterred further unrest. Why? Something about this suddenly bothers you? Didn't bother you when you first figured out what I could do with it at my command or what I had already done with Jedah.” She sighed, clearly no one here had been paying attention to the holonet. She was sure it would have made it through. Then again Adarn didn't bring it up either. Of course it would only be that lie that the Emperor was selling. 

  
“Not you Orson. Tarkin. He used it, used it to destroy Alderaan.”

  
“What?” He was genuinely stunned. He knew the very sort of man Tarkin was. But he had never figured at all that he would have the audacity to destroy a core world. Especially a cultural centre like Alderaan along with over two billion that lived on it would have to be one of the worst strategic decisions he had ever heard of in his military life.

  
"Emperor Palpatine was on the screens on Coruscant claiming it was an accident caused by Alderaan's own weapons of mass destruction. Clearly he didn't approve and was trying to cover it up. The sentiment on the whole planet did not seem to agree, then almost immediately after during the confusion he made the announcement he dissolved the senate. Just like you said would happen." 

  
Krennic wasn't too shocked about that. He was still trying to process the insanity of what Tarkin had done, with the sum of his life's work. While empathy was not one of his defining tributes, nor was guilt he saw it as proof that he would have been better left in charge. He would have solved the flaw issue before it could be taken advantage of. It was likely now the rebels had definitely received a copy of the plans and they would have found the flaw as he had. With the destruction of Alderaan it would just bring more rebels swarming to their pathetic little cause like insects. Now whole worlds were more likely to stand with this rebellion as well. Completely inverting the actual intention of its construction. Kitah leaned forward and caressed his stubbled cheek. 

  
“Hey... what are you thinking hm?” He put his hand over hers and leaned into it slightly. Having forgotten for the moment that he was once again fuming internally. He remembered he didn't have to care about her reaction as to what he thought about the situation.

  
"Well you know me. You should know I can't feel the way about it you or anyone else would. I don't feel guilty for being behind the weapons construction. Same as I really can't feel like I should for the Alderaanians who lost their lives. They're of no consequence to me. I only can see it from the point of view it was such a perfect weapon that there would not have been time for much fear or suffering. Not like a single reactor shot where one gets to see the blast wave coming. All I can tell you truthfully is I would not have done it, because it was of no strategic value." She figured his answer would be something like that, deconstructed in detail. She also knew he had very limited capacity for empathy or guilt. Kitah was just glad that what precious little he had of these emotions he often afforded them to her in some amount. 

  
"I am only sorry it was your life's work and it is likely to be destroyed through Tarkin's mismanagement."

  
He shrugged "Nothing will change what has happened, I have to be content in the knowledge that it was my achievement, I slaved and suffered for the thing. I gave up any vestige of a normal life for my dedication to it, but I got the job done while I might not have received the recognition I deserved for it. In the end I can only hope that dehydrated pile of bantha shit Tarkin is on board should that come to pass." Kitah couldn't help but laugh at yet another of the things he often came out with when referring to Tarkin. She took a few breaths and composed herself.

  
"On another matter... I um. I ran into Captain Pterro." 

  
"You what?" Again he was filled with stunned surprise, more so at this than what Tarkin had done with his weapon. This was another difficult day for him.

  
“He was not killed on Scarif. I, like you assumed he was. I guess neither of us thought to actually look beyond your own name on the deceased personnel list. But when he heard that your wife was requesting your belongings from the station, well naturally he volunteered to be the one to deliver them knowing you didn't have one. I nearly died when I opened your apartment door and saw him there. I must have gone white as a snow trooper. Of course then I had a problem on my hands because he thought I was there actually robbing a dead man. Oh Orson, you should have seen the way he looked at me. He looked so betrayed that I would do such a thing to you.” She could see Krennic had a mixed expression on his face. While he was surprisingly glad that his long time pilot and aide was alive. How he survived was a mystery. As was how Kitah managed to be where she was without being found out. He barely finished the thought in his head when he realised what she had done. 

  
“You had to tell him I was alive didn't you.” Kitah blinked at him.  _ How did he reach that conclusion so damn fast?  _

  
“Yes, I did. If I didn't tell him he was all set to drag me off to be arrested for using what I knew about you to actually be there trying to steal from your estate for real. I did question him though on the actual truth you might have told him about you and I. I wanted to know how much you trusted the man before I confessed you were not dead. I would have just let myself get arrested otherwise. Rather than have them come find you alive.” He shook his head, oh she was definitely better than Lyra. Lyra who was prepared to go down for her husband accomplished nothing by doing so, the woman he chose to be his wife however would have let herself get arrested for fraud rather than lead the Empire to his doorstep. 

  
“I wouldn't have expected that. But if I know Dunstig Pterro and believe me I do he wouldn't have believed you easily.” Kitah craned herself over on her side and grabbed for the strap of her bag pulling it up onto the desk and rummaging around inside it. 

  
“He didn't believe me. I could see he wanted to but he just couldn't, even after I told him everything I knew. He was able to escape the planet because he was at one of the furthest landing pads delivering reinforcements when the laser was fired. He could not fathom how you would have made it out of there alive and I am glad he didn't ask me to explain that at least. But when I showed him this he had to accept that what I was saying was true.” She took his rank badge out of her bag and held it up for him to see. Krennic rolled his eyes. 

  
“Oh fucking hell Kitah don't tell me you actually took that with you? Here I was just thinking how selfless you were in the fact you would rather go to prison then get me killed by the Empire... but you took this with you?! Surely you know how these work right? If it had come into contact with any Imperial scanners it...” She put a finger to his lips shushing him for a change. 

  
“Hush. So little faith in your wife. Of course I know how they work. I didn't take it anywhere near any Imperial buildings. It stayed well away in your apartment. Just be thankful I had it. Because once he saw it he left me with your property and the new access cards. Said sorry for my loss and left. Not before I told him to go and see Brierly about getting a transfer from the station. He could really use a better aide than Tifino.”

  
“I would apologise but it was still a great risk.” She shook her head and laughed.

  
“We both know you wouldn't.” She turned to her bag again getting out the crystal weight that she had taken off his desk. “Guess you can put this one on your half of this desk where it belongs. I didn't even need to get stabbed for this one.” He recognised it as the one off his Coruscant office desk. Taking it from her hand he looked it over, Kitah still had no idea it was a kyber crystal and she had never asked its composition. 

  
“It will be an interesting reminder of my life's work. Whether Tarkin gets it destroyed or not.” He handed it back to her, she turned and placed it on the desk. 

  
“I have something else for you too. Maybe you will consider it a wedding present from me. Or I don't know. A gift in general. I can't say I have ever gotten something for you. Up until now you were the man that had everything. Wasn't really any room for me to get you something. It's not a big thing, I mean if you don't want it then that's okay I just..” He snapped his fingers at her descent into a nervous ramble. 

  
“Stop that. You know I'll accept anything you want to give me. I always have. Haven't I?” She nodded getting the old box she had gotten from the smuggler and handing it to him. He reluctantly took his hand from her calf to take it. She watched, chewing her bottom lip slightly not sure if he would like it or not. When he opened the box inside was a DT-29 Heavy blaster just like the one he had lost. He didn't even mention having lost it to her. 

  
“Where did you even find one of these? There would be lucky to be any left in the galaxy. They were already old and rare when I procured mine. This one has definitely seen better days however...” Just as she had complained it was very worn and had seen a lot of use without the proper care.

  
“Aww. It's not really that bad. I mean sure it is a little older looking. It's clearly been through hell. But I am sure with someone to give it the proper care it deserves then it will turn out just fine.” She ran her thumb over the smooth finish of her wedding ring turning it on her finger. 

  
“You're not talking about the blaster are you hm?” 

  
“Talking about whatever you think I am talking about Orson. Take it how you will.” He closed the box carefully and stood before placing it on the desk. He stood close to her and caressed her cheeks. 

  
“Oh I will my love. I will.” He held her there and kissed her. Kitah could get used to the slightly different way he kissed her, it is possible no one else would ever have noticed. But she knew the difference between the way he kissed her all those times before and the way he kissed her after he had 'died', the way he kissed her after they both realised what idiots they had been. After he let himself love her. She was focused on tasting him on her lips when he broke the kiss and spoke. 

  
“Hm, so you have something else for me?” She blinked for a moment while her brain focused. 

  
“Oh yes.” She pulled the new access cards for his bank accounts and properties out of her bag and handed them to him 

  
“Everything you ever saved, your apartment on Coruscant, your other properties and all of your other personal belongings... Safe as houses.” She smiled, echoing his words to her. “What will you do with it all now?” He shuffled the cards over and over in his hands staring down at them in thought. 

  
“You know, I think I should very much like to go home. Last place the Empire or anyone else would ever expect to find me should it ever come up that I am not dead.”

  
“Where is home to you anyway?” She had never recalled him speaking of it. Thank goodness no one had even thought to ask her that. She always wanted to assume he was from Coruscant but his accent was never quite right for it. Polished up from his time in the military but definitely not from someone born there.

  
"Lexrul. It is a heavily industrialised planet in the mid rim. But is of course lacking the disgust of Corellia. I am sure you will no doubt appreciate that it is nothing like Coruscant either. Even I would call Sativran City pleasant on most days. I am certain you would find plenty there to keep yourself occupied. If none of that suited you could set all this up again, without the being gouged by an extortionist part.” He gestured to her hangar with the cards in his hand.

  
“Well, I would have to see to know wouldn't I? And what will you do there?” She couldn't help but ask when he did not divulge.

  
“To be perfectly honest I don't actually have to do anything. I am retired, remember? Very well prepared retired.” He tapped the edges of the access cards drawing her attention to them, she had not even bothered to look at the contents of any of his accounts. 

  
“If it weren't for the fact I would quickly get bored just like you I would do nothing. I think I could be content to return to architecture. Won't have to answer to anyone ever again but myself.” 

  
Kitah carefully considered what he had said. There would be more opportunities for her on an industrialised planet. It would give him a familiarity he could be comfortable with. She could fit in just about anywhere if there was need enough to. She managed the moves from Corellia, Kuat and Rendili before adjusting to life on the Battle Station and then out to Thaere what was one more planetary move in six or so years going to be anyway? 

  
She could be quite happy to leave the setup rent free to Adarn, there was enough work coming through for him to make his own credits from it, plus they now owed quite a few months worth of favours to certain people. She knew that he and Tsmree could certainly use it. She was running so many scenarios through her head she didn't hear him talk to her until he put his hand under her chin and lifted her eyes to his. 

  
“I said what do you think?” Kitah tilted her head and sighed at him, all too easily lost in that blue gaze of his. 

  
“I can never really say no to you Orson. Not when you look at me like that. Of course I will go with you to Lexrul.” He scoffed and stroked some of her loose hair out of her face.

  
“My love, you could never really say no to me even if I didn't look at you like that.”  
  
  
****

**The End.**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 🎵 [Say You Believe - Midnight Divide](https://youtu.be/apZsH6kxJeQ)
> 
> *Bonus Track* - Wanted to use it couldn't find a spot it fit in.  
> 🎵 [''Love Lockdown'' by J2 [feat. StarGzrLilly]](https://youtu.be/6EKkMwLpgo0)
> 
> * [Dunstig Pterro](https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Dunstig_Pterro) \- Surprisingly has never been listed as killed in 0BBY like others at Scarif. So at the time of writing this it is actually accurate that he was not killed at Scarif (Despite flying Krennic there? Does this mean that Krennic's shuttle is intact out there somewhere?)
> 
> * [DT-29 Heavy Blaster Pistol](https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/DT-29_heavy_blaster_pistol)
> 
> * [Lexrul](https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Lexrul)
> 
> The quick paced end to the story was done so it fit in the limited time frame between the end of Rogue One and when Alderaan was destroyed which was under a week. So allowing for travel times etc. 
> 
> * [Destruction of Alderaan](https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/The_Disaster)
> 
> So there we are, the end. I had a lot of fun giving Orson Krennic a much more satisfactory "End" to his career. I tried very hard to do it in a believable way that lets all who read it find themselves able to watch all of Rogue One thinking yes, this is definitely going on in the background and of course our villain did get the girl as part of the package. 
> 
> I did a crazy amount of research for this story. I also *had* to sit through every bit of Ben Mendelsohn's works that I could get my hands on to expand on Krennics mannerisms because we got what.... 15 minutes of actual screen time to work with plus his character in Catalyst. (Which was actually written the same way... James Luceno said in an interview about his book that he watched alot of Mendelsohn as an actor to write him. Felt chuffed when I read that after Id written most of this.)
> 
> \- Narquestaur ( Also known as Themadtarkantaur)


End file.
